Nonequilibrium Quantum Criticality and Non-Markovian Environment: Critical Exponent of a Quantum Phase Transition

We show that the critical exponent of a quantum phase transition in a damped-driven open system is determined by the spectral density function of the reservoir. We consider the open-system variant of the Dicke model, where the driven boson mode and also the large N spin couple to independent reservoirs at zero temperature. The critical exponent, which is 1 if there is no spin-bath coupling, decreases below 1 when the spin couples to a sub-Ohmic reservoir.