A direct classical analog of quantum decoherence is introduced. Similarities
and differences between decoherence dynamics examined quantum mechanically and
classically are exposed via a second-order perturbative treatment and via a
strong decoherence theory, showing a strong dependence on the nature of the
system-environment coupling. For example, for the traditionally assumed linear
coupling, the classical and quantum results are shown to be in exact agreement.Comment: 5 pages, no figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter