  We study the Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg (LZS) effect for a two-level system
with a time-dependent nonlinear bias field (the sweep function) W(t). Our main
concern is to investigate the influence of the nonlinearity of W(t) on the
probability P to remain in the initial state. The dimensionless quantity
epsilon = pi Delta ^2/(2 hbar v) depends on the coupling Delta of both levels
and on the sweep rate v. For fast sweep rates, i.e., epsilon << l and
monotonic, analytic sweep functions linearizable in the vicinity of the
resonance we find the transition probability 1-P ~= epsilon (1+a), where a>0 is
the correction to the LSZ result due to the nonlinearity of the sweep. Further
increase of the sweep rate with nonlinearity fixed brings the system into the
nonlinear-sweep regime characterized by 1-P ~= epsilon ^gamma with gamma neq 1
depending on the type of sweep function. In case of slow sweep rates, i.e.,
epsilon >>1 an interesting interference phenomenon occurs. For analytic W(t)
the probability P=P_0 e^-eta is determined by the singularities of sqrt{Delta
^2+W^2(t)} in the upper complex plane of t. If W(t) is close to linear, there
is only one singularity, that leads to the LZS result P=e^-epsilon with
important corrections to the exponent due to nonlinearity. However, for, e.g.,
W(t) ~ t^3 there is a pair of singularities in the upper complex plane.
Interference of their contributions leads to oscillations of the prefactor P_0
that depends on the sweep rate through epsilon and turns to zero at some
epsilon. Measurements of the oscillation period and of the exponential factor
would allow to determine Delta, independently.
