Conductivity Dynamics in the Correlated Metallic State of V$_{2}$O$_{3}$

V$_{2}$O$_{3}$ is a strongly correlated electron material that undergoes a transition from antiferromagnetic insulator at low temperatures to a strongly correlated metal above $\sim $140K. We report on time resolved spectroscopic studies of V$_{2}$O$_{3}$ thin films where we have observed coherent oscillations in the far-infrared conductivity following excitation with a 35-fs optical pulse. The resultant $\sim $100 ps conductivity oscillations result from the optically induced generation of strain which modulates the orbital overlap and hence the conductivity thus revealing a strong coupling of carriers to the lattice in the metallic state. This contrasts with other vanadates such as VO$_{2}$ where this effect is not observed. We will discuss the potential of V$_{2}$O$_{3}$ as a candidate material for investigating photoinduced phase transitions.