  In supercontinuum generation, various propa- gation effects combine to
produce a dramatic spec- tral broadening of intense ultrashort optical pulses
with far reaching possibilities. Different applications place highly divergent
and challenging demands on source characteristics such as spectral coverage
from the ultraviolet (UV) across the visible (VIS) to the near-infrared (NIR),
and into the mid-infrared (MIR). Shot-to-shot repeatability, high spectral
energy density, an absence of complicated or non-deterministic pulse splitting
are also essential for many applications. Here we present an "all in one"
solution with the first supercontinuum in bulk covering the broad- est
bandwidth from just above UV far into the MIR. The spectrum spans more than
three octaves, carries high spectral energy density (3pJ up to 10 nJ per
nanometer), has high shot-to-shot reproducibility, and is carrier-to-envelope
phase (CEP) stable. Our method, based on filamentation of a femtosecond MIR
pulse in the anoma- lous dispersion regime, allows for a new class of simple
and compact supercontinuum sources.
