  We study the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of non-interacting atoms confined
within a one-dimensional harmonic trap triggered by dragging an external
long-range potential through the system. The symmetry-breaking nature of this
moving potential couples adjacent eigenstates in the atoms' effective
potential, leading to an energy landscape reminscent of systems exhibiting
trap-induced shape resonances. These couplings may be exploited to selectively
excite the atoms into higher vibrational states of the harmonic trap by
controlling the motion of the dragged potential. To this end, we consider two
protocols designs: the first protocol strives to maintain adiabaticity at
critical points during the atoms' dynamics, whilst the second protocol utilises
the fast tunnelling of the atoms within their effective double-well potential.
These protocols take place in the few to many millisecond regime and achieve
high-fidelity excitation of the atoms into pure vibrational states and
superpositions thereof. Overall, our study highlights the significance of
dragged potentials for controlling and manipulating atom dynamics and offers
intuitive protocols for achieving desired excitations.
