Mid-IR filamentation in dielectrics: 3-Octave-spanning supercontinuum generation and sub-2-cycle self-compression

We report on 3-octave supercontinuum generation from ZnS in the normal dispersion regime and self-compression of mid-IR pulses to sub-2-cycle in CaF
2
in the anomalous dispersion regime. Temporal characterization shows good agreement with 3D simulations.