We discuss a way of creating, manipulating, and detecting anyons in rotating Bose-Einstein condensates consisting of a small number of atoms. By achieving a quasidegeneracy in the atomic motional states we drive the system into a $\frac{1}{2}$-Laughlin state for fractional quantum Hall bosons. Localized $\frac{1}{2}$-quasiholes can be created by focusing lasers at the desired positions. We show how to manipulate these quasiholes in order to probe directly their $\frac{1}{2}$-statistics.

• Received 1 March 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.010402