Control of Light-Atom Solitons and Atomic Transport by Optical Vortex Beams Propagating through a Bose-Einstein Condensate

We model propagation of far-red-detuned optical vortex beams through a Bose-Einstein condensate using nonlinear Schrodinger and Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We show the formation of coupled light-atomic solitons that rotate azimuthally before moving off tangentially, carrying angular momentum. The number, and velocity, of solitons, depends on the orbital angular momentum of the optical field. Using a Bessel-Gauss beam increases radial confinement so that solitons can rotate with fixed azimuthal velocity. Our model provides a highly controllable method of channeling a BEC and atomic transport.