Fractatomic Physics: An Invitation with Atomic Stability and Rydberg States in Fractal Spaces

Abstract

We explore the physical quantum properties of atoms in fractal spaces, both as a theoretical generalization of normal integer-dimensional Euclidean spaces and as an experimentally realizable setting. We identify the threshold of fractality at which Ehrenfest atomic instability emerges, where the Schrödinger equation describing the wave-function of a single electron orbiting around an atom becomes scale-free, and discuss the potential of observing this phenomena in laboratory settings. We then study the Rydberg states of stable atoms using the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin approximation, along with a proposed extension for the Langer modification, in general fractal dimensionalities. We show that fractal space atoms near instability explode in size even at low-number excited state, making them highly suitable to induce strong entanglements and foster long-range many-body interactions. We argue that atomic physics in fractal spaces -- ``fractatomic physics'' -- is a rich research avenue deserving of further theoretical and experimental investigations.