In turbulent, periodically excited jets, interactions between bubbles and large coherent vortices are quantitatively studied. Simultaneous, two-phase PIV (particle image velocimetry) and photographic recordings were applied for tracking the large vortices and bubble structures and for investigating trapping phenomena. In order to quantify the interaction between bubbles and the large vortices that are formed in the shear layer, characteristic phase-averaged quantities were determined by PIV. The time-dependent vortex radius, the vorticity at the vortex centre and the time-dependent trapping conditions, obtained from the simulation of the vortex development, were tested against the experimental data. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.