LASER-INDUCED ROTATION OF A TRAPPED BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATE

Atom optic techniques are proposed to control the excitation of a Bose -Einstein condensate in an atomic trap. We show that by employing the dipole potential induced by four highly detuned traveling-wave laser b eams with appropriate phases and frequencies, one can coherently excit e a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate composed of ultracold alkali-meta l atoms into a state rotating around the trap center. Pure vortex stat es can be created with this scheme if the condensate is trapped in an anharmonic trap.