We develop a simple model and propose a scheme that allows the production of twisted atoms in free space using the absorption of twisted photons by a bound electron. We show that in the inelastic collision of a photon and an atom, the twisted state of the photon is transferred to the center-of-mass state, so that the projection of the orbital momentum of the atom becomes $m_{\gamma }-\mathrm{\Delta }{m}_e$. We also show that, depending on the experimental conditions, the twistedness of the photon is either transferred to the atomic center-of-mass quantum state or modifies the selection rule for the bound electron transition. The proposed scheme is general and enables complex shaping of the atomic wavefront.

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• Angular momentum of light
• Atom optics
• Geometric & topological phases
• Optical vortices
• Atomic & molecular beams
• Atoms
• Dipole approximation
• Perturbative methods
• Photoexcitation
• Schroedinger equation