Quantum simulation enables one to mimic the evolution of other quantum systems using a controllable quantum system. Quantum harmonic oscillator (QHO) is one of the most important model systems in quantum physics. To observe the transient dynamics of a QHO with high oscillation frequency directly is difficult. We experimentally simulate the transient behaviors of QHO in an open system during time evolution with an optical mode and a logical operation system of continuous variable quantum computation. The time evolution of an atomic ensemble in the collective spontaneous emission is analytically simulated by mapping the atomic ensemble onto a QHO. The measured fidelity, which is used for quantifying the quality of the simulation, is higher than its classical limit. The presented simulation scheme provides a new tool for studying the dynamic behaviors of QHO.The simulation for dynamic behaviors of a quantum system in general is difficult with any classical configurations. In 1982, R. Feynman envisaged a quantum simulator, which should be built of quantum mechanical elements, and thus it can naturally evolve according to quantum mechanics laws 1 . By using quantum simulation (QS), we can simulate the dynamic evolution of other quantum system with a controllable quantum system 2-5 . In recent years the study on QS has been growing rapidly since the development of quantum information science has prepared enough technologies to implement the manipulation of quantum systems and realize QS. Moreover, many potential applications of QS in variety of scientific fields are a strong motivation to push it progressing. Sizable theoretical proposals on QS have been proposed in the past decade 5 . In the experimental investigations the ultra-cold quantum gases 6 , trapped ions 7,8 , photonic system 9,10 , super-conducting circuits 11 , nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) 12-16 , nitrogen-vacancy centers 17 , and so on, have been used as the controllable quantum systems to implement QS. Some experiments on simulating the dynamic processes in the condensed-matter, chemical, biological and frustrated systems have also been demonstrated 5,18-20 . In the achieved QS experiments, the used quantum variables are discrete variables (DV) with finite dimensions. Usually, high fidelity can be obtained in the DVQS system, such as trapped ions 7 , photonic 10 , and NMR 13-15 systems.Although the continuous variable (CV) quantum information and quantum computation (QC) based on applying quadrature amplitude and phase of quantized optical mode (qu-mode) to be quantum variables have been extensively explored [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] , QS scheme utilizing qu-mode and logical operations in CVQC to mimic the dynamics of the other quantum systems has not been implemented before. Very recently, a QS scheme of quantum field theory using continuous variables is proposed 30 .In physics the dynamics of numerous systems is governed by the harmonic oscillator equations, thus the study for dynamic behaviors of harmonic oscillators has general signif...