Vortices near the Mott phase of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate

We present a theoretical study of vortices within a harmonically trapped Bose-Einstein condensate in a rotating optical lattice. We find that proximity to the Mott insulating state dramatically affects the vortex structures. To illustrate, we give examples in which the vortices (i) all sit at a fixed distance from the center of the trap, forming a ring, or (ii) coalesce at the center of the trap, forming a giant vortex. We also model time-of-flight expansion.