With the rapid development of ultrafast intense laser technologies, the interaction of intense laser radiation with matter has been a frontier for few decades. The International Conference on Multiphoton Processes (ICOMP), initiated in 1977, covers the latest advances in the field every three years. The special issue is based on the spirit of the 13th International Conference on Multi-Photon Processes, ICOMP13, which was held in Shanghai, organized by Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on Dec. 7-10, 2014.