Vortex line and ring dynamics in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates - art. no. 013604

Vortex dynamics in inhomogeneous Bose-Einstein condensates are studied nume rically in two and three dimensions. We simulate the precession of a single vortex around the center of a trapped condensate, and use the Magnus force to estimate the precession frequency. Vortex ring dynamics in a spherical trap are also simulated, and we discover that a ring undergoes oscillatory motion around a circle of maximum energy. The position of this locus is cal culated as a function of the number of condensed atoms. In the presence of dissipation, the amplitude of the oscillation will increase, eventually res ulting in self-annihilation of the ring.