Abstract
High-speed photography is a powerful tool for exploring various types of dynamics and has played a
critical role in discovery of fast processes and establishment of new theories. For capturing ultrafast
events on sub-nanosecond timescales, we have developed a high-speed imaging method distinct from
conventional CCD or CMOS image sensors, known as sequentially timed all-optical mapping
photography (STAMP). This method does not require repetitive measurement, which is mandatory in
the pump-probe method, and thus is able to capture phenomena that can never be investigated with
conventional methods. To show the broad utility of the camera, we use it to obtain motion pictures of
laser ablation and lattice vibrational waves, both of which were previously difficult to observe with
conventional methods in a single shot.
