Fundamental and vortex solitons in a two-dimensional optical lattice

Fundamental and vortex solitons in a two-dimensional optically induced waveguide array are reported. In the strong localization regime the fundamental soliton is largely confined to one lattice site, whereas the vortex state comprises four fundamental modes superimposed in a square configuration with a phase structure that is topologically equivalent to the conventional vortex. However, in the weak localization regime, both the fundamental and the vortex solitons spread over many lattice sites. We further show that fundamental and the vortex solitons are stable against small perturbations in the strong localization regime.