  A direct classical analog of the quantum dynamics of intrinsic decoherence in
Hamiltonian systems, characterized by the time dependence of the linear entropy
of the reduced density operator, is introduced. The similarities and
differences between the classical and quantum decoherence dynamics of an
initial quantum state are exposed using both analytical and computational
results. In particular, the classicality of early-time intrinsic decoherence
dynamics is explored analytically using a second-order perturbative treatment,
and an interesting connection between decoherence rates and the stability
nature of classical trajectories is revealed in a simple approximate classical
theory of intrinsic decoherence dynamics. The results offer new insights into
decoherence, dynamics of quantum entanglement, and quantum chaos.
