Vortex solitons in dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates

We predict solitary vortices in quasiplanar condensates of dipolar atoms, polarized parallel to the confinement direction, with the effective sign of the dipole-dipole interaction inverted by means of a rapidly rotating field. Energy minima corresponding to vortex solitons with topological charges $\ensuremath{\ell}=1$ and 2 are predicted for moderately strong dipole-dipole interaction, using an axisymmetric Gaussian Ansatz. The stability of the solitons with $\ensuremath{\ell}=1$ is confirmed by full three-dimensional simulations, whereas their counterparts with $\ensuremath{\ell}=2$ are found to be unstable against splitting into a set of four fragments (quadrupole).