This joint issue of Optics Express and the Journal of the Optica Society of America B (JOSA B) features 61 peer-reviewed articles, many of which are contributed by authors who participated in the International Conference of Advanced Solid State Lasers, held in Osaka, Japan, from October 20 to 24, 2024. This introduction provides a concise overview of the featured articles, which highlight recent advances in laser science, ultrafast optics, and nonlinear optics. The collection covers a broad range of topics in soli…