  By analyzing ``exact'' theoretical results from solving the time-dependent
Schr\"odinger equation of atoms in few-cycle laser pulses, we established the
general conclusion that differential elastic scattering and photo-recombination
cross sections of the target ion with {\em free} electrons can be extracted
accurately from laser-generated high-energy electron momentum spectra and
high-order harmonic spectra, respectively. Since both electron scattering and
photoionization (the inverse of photo-recombination) are the conventional means
for interrogating the structure of atoms and molecules, this result shows that
existing few-cycle infrared lasers can be implemented for ultrafast imaging of
transient molecules with temporal resolution of a few femtoseconds.
