"Coherent Transitions" and Rabi-type Oscillations between Spatial Modes of Classical Light

In this paper we apply approaches and concepts from quantum mechanics to analyze the propagation of classical electromagnetic waves in the elements of integrated optical circuits. We consider here regions of transparent materials as potential wells between barriers of complex shape formed by opaque media. This allows us to build an analogy between coherent oscillations in a quantum system and the redistribution of the field strength of a classical wave in space in the framework of the slow-varying amplitude approximation for the wave equation. We also demonstrate the possibility of controlling the mode composition of a classical light in a spatially inhomogeneous waveguide structure. The proposed description is based on the analogy with Rabi-type oscillations in quantum mechanics.