Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
After a brief introduction to shock wave propagation in solids, recent experimental developments to understand the real time response of shocked materials at various length scales are outlined. Results from two representative studies are summarized: xray diffraction to examine elastic-plastic deformation in shocked LiF crystals; and picosecond optical absorption to examine structural transformation in shocked CdS crystals. Issues related to examining material processes at different length scales in shock wave experiments are discussed briefly.