  Under many circumstances, the only important two-body interaction between
atoms in ultracold dilute atomic vapors is the short-ranged isotropic s-wave
collision. Recent studies have shown, however, that situations may arise where
the dipolar interaction between atomic magnetic or electric dipole moments can
play a significant role. The long-range anisotropic nature of the dipolar
interaction greatly enriches the static and dynamic properties of ultracold
atoms. In the case of dipolar spinor condensates, the interplay between the
dipolar interaction and the spin exchange interaction may lead to nontrivial
spin textures. Here we pay particular attention to the spin vortex state that
is analogous to the magnetic vortex found in thin magnetic films.
