We present two physical systems which make Gauss sums experimentally accessible. The probability amplitude for a two-photon transition in an appropriate ladder system driven by a chirped laser pulse is determined by a Gauss sum. The autocorrelation function of a quantum rotor is also of the form of a Gauss sum. These examples suggest rules for determining prime factor components on the basis of the properties of Gauss.
View online : Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 20, 1893-1916 (2006)