Non-Adiabatic Transition in Spin-Boson Model and Generalization of the Landau-Zener Formula

Non-adiabatic transitions are studied in a spin-boson model with multiple scattering points. In order to generalize the Landau-Zener formula, which describes the case of a single scattering point, we define an ``effective gap’’ for a set of scattering points. The generalized formula agrees very well with numerical results of the non-adiabatic dynamics, which we obtained by a direct numerical method. This will make the Landau-Zener formula yet more useful in analyzing experimental data of magnetic-moment inversion.