Multiplicity of vortex soliton families in the discrete Ginzburg-Landau equation, their interactions and the formation of bound states

By using different continuation methods, we unveil a wide region in the parameter space of the discrete cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation, where several families of stable vortex solitons coexist. All these stationary solutions have a symmetric amplitude profile and two different topological charges. We also discover the dynamical formation of a variety of 'bound-state' solutions, composed of two or more of these vortex solitons. All of these stable composite structures persist in the conservative cubic limit, for high values of their power content.