  We propose a wave packet basis for storing and processing several qubits of
quantum information in a single multilevel atom. Using radially localized wave
packet states in the Rydberg atom, we construct an orthogonal basis that is
related to the usual energy level basis by a quantum Fourier transform. A
transform-limited laser pulse that is short compared with the classical Kepler
period of the system interacts mainly with the wave packet state localized near
the atomic core, allowing selective control in this basis. We argue that wave
packet control in this regime is useful for multilevel quantum information
processing.
