Reliability of the time splitting Fourier method for singular solutions in quantum fluids

We study the numerical accuracy of the well-known time splitting Fourier spectral method for the approximation of singular solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. In particular, we explore its capability of preserving a steady-state vortex solution, whose density profile is approximated by an accurate diagonal Pade expansion of degree [8, 8], here explicitly derived for the first time. We show by several numerical experiments that the Fourier spectral method is only slightly more accurate than a time splitting finite difference scheme, while being reliable and efficient. Moreover, we notice that, at a post-processing stage, it allows an accurate evaluation of the solution outside grid points, thus becoming particularly appealing for applications where high resolution is needed, such as in the study of quantum vortex interactions. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.