We present experimental and numerical investigations of optical extreme (rogue) event statistics recorded in the regime of femtosecond pulse filamentation in water. In the spectral domain, the extreme events manifest themselves as either large or small extremes of the spectral intensity, justified by right- or left-tailed statistical distributions, respectively. In the time domain, the observed extreme events are associated with pulse splitting and energy redistribution in space and therefore are exquisitely linked to three-dimensional, spatiotemporal dynamics and formation of the $X$ waves.

• Received 17 November 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.83.025802