  The Brownian dynamics of the density operator for a quantum system
interacting with a classical heat bath is described using a stochastic,
non-linear Liouville equation obtained from a variational principle. The
environment's degrees of freedom are simulated by classical harmonic
oscillators, while the dynamical variables of the quantum system are two
non-hermitian "square root operators" defined by a Gauss-like decomposition of
the density operator. The rate of the noise-induced transitions is expressed as
a function of the environmental spectral density, and is discussed for the case
of the white noise and blackbody radiation. The result is compared with the
rate determined by a quantum environment, calculated by partial tracing in the
whole Hilbert space. The time-dependence of the von Neumann entropy and of the
dissipated energy is obtained numerically for a system of two quantum states.
These are the ground and first excited state of the center of mass vibrations
for an ion confined in a harmonic trap.
