Hydrodynamic simulations are used to evaluate the potential of ultrashort laser pulses to localize energy at metallic surfaces, in our case aluminum. The emphasis is put on the dynamic sequence of laser energy deposition steps during the electron-ion nonequilibrium stage and the subsequent matter transformation phases. The simulations indicate correlated optical and thermodynamical states associated to specific electronic collisional mechanisms. The timescales of energy deposition deliver a guideline for using relevant relaxation times to improve the energy coupling into the material. We focus on a class of pump-probe experiments which investigate energy storage and particle emission from solids under ultrafast laser irradiation. Moreover, we have used our model to explain the experimentally observed optimization of energy coupling by tailoring temporal laser intensity envelopes and its subsequent influence on the ablation rate and on the composition of ablation products. Potential control for nanoparticle generation is discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.