Motion in a Bose condensate: VIII. The electron bubble

The Bose condensate model is used to elucidate the motion of the electron bubble in superfluids. An asymptotic expansion is developed for steady subcritical flow. Numerical integration of the coupled nonlinear Schroedinger equations, that describe the evolution of the wavefunctions of the Bose condensate and the impurity, is used to study the nucleation and capture of vortex rings. Because an electron bubble is made oblate by its motion relative to the condensate, the critical velocity for the vortex nucleation is reduced by about 20%, in agreement with experiments. (author)