Observation of laser vortex solitons in a self-focusing semiconductor laser

We report the observation of single and multiple vortex solitons in a self-focusing dissipative system, a broad-area vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with frequency-selective feedback by a volume Bragg grating. They are bistable and the transitions between different soliton structures are analysed. The observations qualitatively verify theoretical predictions based on simplified models for a semiconductor laser with frequency-selective feedback.