  The control of materials properties with light is a promising approach
towards the realization of faster and smaller electronic devices. With phases
that can be controlled via strain, pressure, chemical composition or
dimensionality, nickelates are good candidates for the development of a new
generation of high performance and low consumption devices. Here we analyze the
photoinduced dynamics in a single crystalline NdNiO$_3$ film upon excitation
across the electronic gap. Using time-resolved reflectivity and resonant x-ray
diffraction, we show that the pump pulse induces an insulator-to-metal
transition, accompanied by the melting of the charge order. Finally we compare
our results to similar studies in manganites and show that the same model can
be used to describe the dynamics in nickelates, hinting towards a unified
description of these photoinduced phase transitions.
