Dark-soliton creation in Bose-Einstein condensates

It is demonstrated that stable, standing dark solitons can be created in current dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensate experiments by the proper combination of phase and density engineering. Other combinations result in a widely controllable range of gray solitons. The phonon contribution is small and is calculated precisely. The ensuing dynamics should be observable in situ, i.e., without ballistic expansion of the condensate.