This volume presents recent progress and perspectives in multi-photon processes and spectroscopy of atoms, ions, molecules and solids. The subjects in the series cover the experimental and theoretical investigations in the interdisciplinary research fields of natural science including chemistry, physics, bioscience and material science.This volume is the latest volume in a series that is a pioneer in compiling review articles of nonlinear interactions of photons and matter. It has made an essential contribution to the development and promotion of the related research fields. In view of the rapid growth in multi-photon processes and multi-photon spectroscopy, care has been taken to ensure that the review articles contained in the series are readable not only by active researchers but also those who are not yet experts but intend to enter the field.

In view of the rapid growth in both experimental and theoretical studies of multiphoton processes and multiphoton spectroscopy of atoms, ions and molecules in many interdisciplinary fields, an Advanced Series that contains review papers readable not only to active researchers in these areas but also to those who are not experts in the field but intend to enter the field is very necessary. This series attempts to serve this purpose. Each review article is written in a self-contained manner by the experts in the area so that the readers can grasp the knowledge in the area without too much preparation. The collection of topics in this volume will prove useful, valuable and stimulating not only to active researchers but also to other scientists in the areas of biology, chemistry, materials science and physics.

This volume presents recent progress and perspectives in multi-photon processes and spectroscopy of atoms, ions, molecules and solids. The subjects in the series cover the experimental and theoretical investigations in the interdisciplinary research fields of natural science including chemistry, physics, bioscience and material science. This volume is the latest volume in a series that is a pioneer in compiling review articles of nonlinear interactions of photons and matter. It has made an essential contribution to the development and promotion of the related research fields. In view of the rapid growth in multi-photon processes and multi-photon spectroscopy, care has been taken to ensure that the review articles contained in the series are readable not only by active researchers but also those who are not yet experts but intend to enter the field.

This book presents the latest developments and issues in both experimental and theoretical studies of multi-photon processes and the spectroscopy of atoms, ions and molecules in physics, chemistry, biology and material science. It contains review papers suitable for both active researchers and non-experts who wish to enter the field.Special attention is paid to the recent progress of non-linear photon-matter interactions in atoms, molecules and interfaces: XUV/soft X-ray, high-order harmonic generation in attosecond regime, high-order harmonic generation, sum frequency generation, four-wave mixing spectroscopy and molecular orientation with combined electrostatic and intense, non-resonant laser fields.

In view of the rapid growth in both experimental and theoretical studies of multiphoton processes and multiphoton spectroscopy of atoms, ions and molecules in chemistry, physics, biology, material sciences, etc., it is desirable to publish an Advanced Series that contains review papers readable not only by active researchers in these areas, but also by those who are not experts in the field but who intend to enter the field. The present series attempts to serve this purpose. Each review article is written in a self-contained manner by the experts in the area so that the readers can grasp the knowledge in the area without too much preparation.The topics covered in this volume include “Ultrafast Photochemical Dynamics in Solution Studied by Femtosecond Time-Resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy: Involvement of Highly Excited States”, “Spectral Selective Studies of Molecular Doped Solids and Applications”, “From Multiphoton to Tunnel Ionization”, “Cluster Dynamics in Intense Laser Fields”, and “Molecular Theory of Sum-Frequency Generation and its Application to Study Molecular Chirality”. It is hoped that the collection of topics in this volume will be useful not only to active researchers but also to other scientists in biology, chemistry, materials science and physics.This book has been selected for coverage in:• CC / Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences• Index to Scientific Book Contents® (ISBC)

It is a great pleasure that we are now publishing the fourth volume of the series on PUILS, through which we have been introducing the progress in ultrafast intense laser science, the frontiers of which are rapidly expanding, thanks to the progress in ultrashort and high-power laser technologies. The interdisciplinary nature of this research ?eld is attracting researchers with di?erent expertise and backgrounds. As in the previousvolumeson PUILS, each chapter in the presentvolume, which is in the range of 15–25 pages, begins with an introduction in which a clear and concise account of the signi?cance of the topic is given, followed by a description of the authors’ most recent research results. All the chapters are peer-reviewed. The articles of this fourth volume cover a diverse range of the interdisciplinary research ?eld, and the topics may be grouped into four categories: strong ?eld ionization of atoms (Chaps. 1–2), excitation, ioni- tion and fragmentation of molecules (Chaps. 3–5), nonlinear intense optical phenomena and attosecond pulses (Chaps. 6–8), and laser solid interactions and photoemissions (Chaps. 9–11).

The PUILS series delivers up-to-date reviews of progress in Ultrafast Intense Laser Science, a newly emerging interdisciplinary research field spanning atomic and molecular physics, molecular science, and optical science, which has been stimulated by the recent developments in ultrafast laser technologies. Each volume compiles peer-reviewed chapters authored by researchers at the forefront of each their own subfields of UILS. Every chapter begins with an overview of the topics to be discussed, so that researchers unfamiliar to the subfield, as well as graduate students, can grasp the importance and attractions of the research topic at hand; these are followed by reports of cutting-edge discoveries. This seventh volume covers a broad range of topics from this interdisciplinary research field, focusing on the ionization of atoms and molecules, ultrafast responses of protons and electrons within a molecule, molecular alignment, high-order harmonics and attosecond pulse generation, and acceleration of electrons and ions in laser plasmas.