Creating vortex rings and three-dimensional skyrmions in Bose-Einstein condensates

We propose a method of generating a vortex ring in a Bose-Einstein condensa te by means of electromagnetically induced atomic transitions. Some remnant population of atoms in a second internal state remains within the toroidal trap formed by the mean-field repulsion of the vortex ring. This populatio n can he removed. or it can be made to flow around the torus (i.e.. within the vortex ring). If this flow has a unit topological winding number, the e ntire structure formed by the two condensates is an example of a three-dime nsional Skyrmion texture.