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Quantum dynamics of atoms in number-theory-inspired potentials

D. Cassettari1,*, O. V. Marchukov2, B. Carruthers1, H. Kendell3,4, J. Ruhl5, B. De Mitchell Pierre6, C. Zara6, C. A. Weidner4, A. Trombettoni7,8 et al.

M. Olshanii5 and G. Mussardo8

  • *Contact author: dc43@st-andrews.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. A 113, 032216 – Published 19 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/cpm3-lpgp

Abstract

In this paper we study transitions of atoms between energy levels of several number-theory-inspired trapping potentials under the effect of time-dependent perturbations. First, we simulate in detail the case of a trap whose single-particle spectrum is given by the prime numbers. We investigate one-body Rabi oscillations and the excitation line shape for two resonantly coupled energy levels, and we show that quantum control is a faster method for state preparation than periodic perturbation. Next, we investigate cascades of such transitions, particularly whether one can construct a quantum system where the existence of a continuous resonant cascade from a given initial energy eigenstate is predicated by the validity of a given statement in number theory. We find that such resonance cascades, in a suitably designed one-body system, can be used to illustrate that the sequence of natural numbers is closed under multiplication. We further present ideas for two more resonance cascade experiments designed to illustrate certain statements within the Diophantus-Brahmagupta-Fibonacci identity and the Goldbach conjecture.

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Phys. Rev. A 113, 032216– Published 19 March, 2026
  • Received 12 September 2025
  • Accepted 13 January 2026
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