We present a detailed experimental investigation which uncovers the nature of light bullets generated from self-focusing in a bulk dielectric medium with Kerr nonlinearity in the anomalous group velocity dispersion regime. By high dynamic range measurements of three-dimensional intensity profiles, we demonstrate that the light bullets consist of a sharply localized high-intensity core, which carries the self-compressed pulse and contains approximately 25% of the total energy, and a ring-shaped spatiotemporal periphery. Subdiffractive propagation along with dispersive broadening of the light bullets in free space after they exit the nonlinear medium indicate a strong space-time coupling within the bullet. This finding is confirmed by measurements of a spatiotemporal energy density flux that exhibits the same features as a stationary, polychromatic Bessel beam, thus highlighting the nature of the light bullets.

We report on the generation of ultrabroadband supercontinuum (SC) by filamentation of two optical-cycle, carrier-envelope phase-stable pulses at 2 μm in fused silica, sapphire, CaF₂ and YAG. The SC spectra extend from 450 nm to more than 2500 nm, and their particular shapes depend on dispersive properties of the materials. Prior to spectral super-broadening, we observe third-harmonic generation, which occurs in the condition of large phase and group velocity mismatch and consists of free and driven components. A double-peaked third-harmonic structure coexists with the SC pulse as demonstrated by the numerical simulations and verified experimentally. The SC pulses have stable carrier envelope phase with short-term rms fluctuations of ∼ 300 mrad, as simultaneously measured in YAG crystal by f-2f and f-3f interferometry, where the latter makes use of intrinsic third-harmonic generation.

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We report on the generation of two optical-cycle, carrier-envelope phase-stable pulses with energy of 15 μJ at central wavelength of 2 μm. Pulses of 15 fs (2.3 optical cycles) duration are obtained by difference-frequency generation, which at the same time provides passive carrier-envelope phase stabilization, and noncollinear optical parametric amplification in beta-barium borate crystal, which is shown to provide broad phase-matching bandwidth if seeded by pulses in the 1.6-2.6 μm wavelength range. Pulse compression is achieved by means of a simple propagation through the optical setup and by precisely controlling the initial chirp of the pulses to be frequency downconverted.

We report on the experimental realization of a compact, Ti:sapphire laser-pumped mid-infrared light source, which delivers sub-3 optical cycle pulses in the spectral range. The light source employs difference frequency generation in potassium titanyl arsenate crystal by mixing the signal and idler waves from a commercial near-infrared optical parametric amplifier and subsequent optical parametric amplification in LiIO3 crystal. The amplified sub-100 fs mid-infrared pulses are self-compressed down to sub-3 optical cycles by nonlinear propagation in few mm thick YAG, CaF2 and BaF2 crystals featuring anomalous group velocity dispersion in that spectral range. The self-compression is performed without the onset of self-focusing effects, hence maintaining a homogenous beam profile with energy throughput efficiency of above 90%, yielding the self-compressed pulses with sub- energy. Even larger self-compression factors (down to sub-2 optical cycles) were achieved in the filamentation regime, simultaneously producing an ultrabroadband supercontinuum, extending from the visible to the mid-infrared.