Tabletop Ti:sapphire amplifiers deliver millijoule-level femtosecond (fs) pulses via chirped pulse amplification (CPA), enabling control of ultrafast phenomena in condensed matter systems.

Optical parametric amplifiers extend ultrafast sources to broadly tunable wavelengths via frequency conversion, enabling selective excitation of specific modes and pathways. The system shown here was elegantly designed and built by Albert Liu in Hamburg.

Free-electron lasers provide intense femtosecond X-ray pulses that allow direct observation of structural dynamics. The image shows the Bernina beamline at SwissFEL, a cutting-edge large-scale facility.

Piezostack-based strain cells enable precise and in situ application of uniaxial strain, providing a powerful platform to tune structural and electronic properties and explore emergent phases.