Majorana spin-flip transitions in a magnetic trap

Atoms confined in a magnetic trap can escape by making spin-flip Majorana transitions due to a breakdown of the adiabatic approximation. Several papers have studied this process for atoms with spin $F=1∕2$ or 1. The present paper calculates the escape rate for atoms with spin $F>1$. This problem has new features because the perturbation $\mathrm{\Delta }T$ that allows atoms to escape satisfies a selection rule $\mathrm{\Delta }{F}_z=0,\pm 1,\pm 2$ and multistep processes contribute in leading order. When the adiabatic approximation is satisfied, the leading-order terms can be summed to yield a simple expression for the escape rate.