INTERFERENCES IN ADIABATIC TRANSITION-PROBABILITIES MEDIATED BY STOKES LINES

We consider the transition probability for two-level quantum-mechanical systems in the adiabatic limit when the Hamiltonian is analytic. We give a general formula for the leading term of the transition probability when it is governed by N complex eigenvalue crossings. This leading term is equal to a decreasing exponential times an oscillating function of the adiabaticity parameter. The oscillating function comes from an interference phenomenon between the contributions from each complex eigenvalue crossing, and when N = 1, it reduces to the geometric prefactor recently studied.