  We study the possible formation of large (mesoscopic) molecular ions in an
ultracold degenerate bosonic gas doped with charged particles (ions). We show
that the polarization potentials produced by the ionic impurities are capable
of capturing hundreds of atoms into loosely bound states. We describe the
spontaneous formation of these hollow molecular ions via phonon emission and
suggest an optical technique for coherent stimulated transitions of free atoms
into a specific bound state. These results open up new interesting
possibilities for manipulating tightly confined ensembles.
