Coherent vortices in rotating flows: A laboratory view

We discuss a series of laboratory experiments on the dynamics of long-lived coherent vortices in rapidly rotating flows. The experiments have been carried out on the Coriolis large-scale rotating platform (14 m of diameter) of the LEGI-IMG in Grenoble (France), with the aim of understanding a) how vortices evolve; and b) how to characterize the vortex ability to trap passive tracers for long times. In this work we describe the technical aspects of the different experiments and discuss some of the properties of vortex dynamics and of particle dispersion.