Techniques and Advances in Ultrafast Photography

Ultrafast events, from the rapid propagation of shock waves to molecular vibrations and electron dynamics, can unfold on timescales as short as femtoseconds. Limited by the imaging speed of charge‐coupled device and complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor sensors, conventional imaging systems cannot capture such high‐speed phenomena. Researchers have developed various ultrafast photography techniques to address this challenge, incorporating electronic, mechanical, and optical methods to achieve imaging speed in the trillion frames per second. This review categorizes ultrafast photography into four types: multishot passive technique, multishot active technique, single‐shot passive technique, and single‐shot active technique. It examines the evolution from early mechanical and electronic high‐speed cameras to modern optical and computational imaging. These innovations have broad applications in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering, providing new insights into ultrafast dynamics. This review discusses the latest developments, compares key techniques, and explores future directions in ultrafast photography research.