Brachmann, JohannesBakr, WaseemGillen, JonathonPeng, AmyGreiner, Markus2012-02-142011Brachmann, Johannes, Waseem S. Bakr, Jonathon Gillen, Amy Peng, and Markus Greiner. 2011. Inducing vortices in a Bose-Einstein condensate using holographically produced light beams. Optics Express 19(14): 12984-12991.1094-4087http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:8160885In this paper we demonstrate a technique that can create non-equilibrium vortex configurations with almost arbitrary charge and geometry in a Bose-Einstein condensate. We coherently transfer orbital angular momentum from a holographically generated light beam to a 87Rb condensate using a two-photon stimulated Raman process. Using matter wave interferometry, we verify the phase pattern imprinted onto the atomic wave function for a single vortex and a vortex-antivortex pair. In addition to their phase winding, the vortices created with this technique have an associated hyperfine spin texture.en-USatomic and molecular physicscoherent optical effectsmultiphoton processesdiffraction and gratingsbinary opticsdiffractive opticsatom opticsBose-Einstein condensatesoptical vorticesquantum gasesatomic physicsquantum physicsJournal Article2012-02-1410.1364/OE.19.012984