Classical analogue of the continuous transition between the Weisskopf-Wigner exponential decay and the Rabi oscillation

When a discrete state is coupled to a continuum, the dynamics can be described either by the Weisskopf-Wigner exponential decay or by the Rabi oscillation, depending on the relative magnitudes of the continuum width and of the Rabi frequency. A continuous transition between these two regimes exists, as demonstrated in 1977 by C. Cohen-Tannoudji and P. Avan. Here, we describe a fully analogous transition in classical mechanics, by studying the dynamics of two coupled mechanical oscillators in the presence of damping. By varying the relative magnitudes of the damping and coupling terms, we observe a continuous transition between a regime analogous to the Rabi oscillation and a regime analogous to the Weisskopf-Wigner exponential decay.

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