Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 19, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Dissipation-induced transition of a simple harmonic oscillator
Zong-Qian Shao1, Yu-Qi Li2, Xiao-Yin Pan1
1Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
Abstract:
We investigate the dissipation-induced transition probabilities between any two eigenstates of a simple harmonic oscillator. Using the method developed by Yu and Sun [Phys. Rev. A 49, 592 (1994)], the general analytical expressions for the transition probabilities are obtained. The special cases: transition probabilities from the ground state to the first few excited states are then discussed in detail. Different from the previous studies in the literature where only the effect of damping was considered, it is found that the Brownian motion makes the transitions between states of different parity possible. The limitations of the applicability of our results are also discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Damped Oscillations
Although friction and other non-conservative...
Forced Oscillations
Characteristics of Simple Harmonic Motion
Types of Damping
Simple Harmonic Motion
Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion

