Quantum modularity of partial theta series with periodic coefficients

Abstract: We explicitly prove the quantum modularity of partial theta series with even or odd periodic coefficients. As an application, we show that the Kontsevich-Zagier series $\mathscr{F}_t(q)$ which matches (at a root of unity) the colored Jones polynomial for the family of torus knots $T(3,2^t)$, $t \geq 2$, is a weight $3/2$ quantum modular form. This generalizes Zagier's result on the quantum modularity for the "strange" series $F(q)$.