Spatial soliton laser: Localized structures in a laser with a saturable absorber in a self-imaging resonator

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally the manipulation of spatial localized structures (spatial solitons) of a laser with saturable absorber in a self-imaging resonator. We show the on-off bistability of the solitons, their movement by phase gradient forces, the parameters of their existence, the limits of their stability, and periodic soliton nucleation and dynamics.