Ultrashort Processes in Condensed Matter : Springer : 9781461362845 : 1461362849 : 24 Oct 2012 : The Advanced Study Institute (AS!) considered a number offacets of the very rapidly advancing field of theoretical and experimental aspects of ultrashort processes in condensed matter. Common threads exist between a series of example cases. One major subgroup of topics involves the ultrashort dynamics of excitations of various "particles" produced through the interactions of condensed matter with ultrashort duration laser light. Examples ofthe excitations include electronic and hole carriers, electron-hole plasma, phonons, vibrons and rotons, two phonon states, and excitons. Experimentation on the dynamics of such excitations, are carried out in the bulk, at surfaces, in thin films, and in quantum wells. The dynamical steps which the excitations usually undergo include photo-excitation, local thermalization, particle-particle interaction, particle phonon interactions and eventual return to