◦ info
⚬ Address: Office C11.504
Institute of Theoretical Physics
Wrocław University of Science and Technology
Janiszewskiego 14a
50-372 Wrocław, Poland
- 2026 Visiting associate professor at Tokyo University of Science (Tokyo, Japan)
- since 2019 Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Wrocław, Poland)
- 2022 Habilitation University of Warsaw (Warsaw, Poland)
- 2016 - 2019 Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, USA)
- 2016 - 2019 University of Tennessee (Knoxville, USA)
- 2013 - 2016 Crete Center for Quantum Complexity and Nanotechnology (Heraklion, Greece)
- 2013 - 2016 University of Crete (Heraklion, Greece)
- 2010 - 2013 Jožef Stefan Institute (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
- 2010 - 2013 PhD studies at University of Ljubljana (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
- 2005 - 2010 MSc studies at University of Łódź (Łódź, Poland)
- (phd) Mateusz Lisiecki
- (phd) Jakub Prokopczyk
- (master) Jagoda Maląg
- (diploma) Szymon Morys
- (diploma) Piotr Złotowski
◦ research interests
⚬ Strongly correlated quantum systems
The collective behavior of interacting electrons gives rise to a wide range of phenomena, including magnetism, metal-insulator transitions, and unconventional superconductivity. In materials with several active electronic orbitals, the interplay between charge, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom creates particularly rich physics. Understanding how these ingredients cooperate or compete is a central challenge in condensed-matter theory.
Our group studies the equilibrium properties and dynamics of strongly correlated systems, with particular emphasis on low-dimensional models. We investigate how electronic interactions generate magnetic correlations, influence the motion and pairing of charge carriers, and produce phases with nontrivial topological properties. Combining numerical many-body methods with analytical approaches, we aim to identify the microscopic mechanisms underlying these collective phenomena and connect simplified theoretical models with the properties of quantum materials.
⚬ Transport, Ergodicity, and Nonequilibrium Dynamics
How do spin, charge, and energy move through a quantum system? How does an interacting system relax after a perturbation, and what determines whether it reaches thermal equilibrium? These questions lie at the intersection of condensed-matter physics and statistical mechanics. They are especially rich in low dimensions, where quantum fluctuations, interactions, and conservation laws can strongly influence the dynamics.
We investigate transport and relaxation in quantum many-body systems, focusing on the roles of interactions, disorder, and dynamical constraints. Our interests range from ballistic propagation and diffusion to slow relaxation and the persistence of memory of an initial state. We study both isolated systems and systems coupled to an environment, exploring how microscopic processes give rise to large-scale transport and how equilibrium properties are related to nonequilibrium evolution.
⚬ Collective phenomena in complex systems
My interests also extend to nonequilibrium dynamics in quantum and classical many-body systems, where local interactions can generate complex collective behavior across different length and time scales. I am particularly interested in how information and perturbations spread through these systems, how coordinated responses emerge, and how their evolution depends on the underlying geometry and dynamical constraints.
These interests include entanglement and information spreading in quantum circuits, particularly in the presence of measurements; the propagation of directional changes in flocks and other groups of self-propelled agents; and phason dynamics in quasiperiodic structures, such as quasicrystals and aperiodic tilings. Such systems offer diverse settings for exploring how quantum information evolves, how a local change in motion influences an entire group, and how structural rearrangements affect the dynamics of an ordered but nonperiodic lattice.
◦ projects, funding & support
Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan S26017
Visiting associate professor, VIII.2026 - IX.2026
Tokyo University of Science, Japan
SONATA BIS 13 2023/50/E/ST3/00033
Properties of low-dimensional quantum systems with charge, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom
Principal Investigator, 2024 - 2029
Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Poland)
High-performance computing resources, since 2019
Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Poland)
⚬ Past support:
High-performance computing resources, 2016 - 2025
University of Tennessee (Knoxville, USA)
OPUS 18 2019/35/B/ST3/01207
Magnetic properties of strongly correlated multi-orbital systems
Principal Investigator, 2020 - 2023
Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Poland)
Polish Returns PPN/PPO/2018/1/00035
Principal Investigator, 2019 - 2022
Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Poland)
◦ publications
See only publications supported by:
⚬ 
JSPS Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan S26017 (2026)
⚬ 
NCN SONATA BIS 13 2023/50/E/ST3/00033 (2024-2029)
⚬ 
NCN OPUS 18 2019/35/B/ST3/01207 (2020-2023)
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NAWA Polish Returns PPN/PPO/2018/1/00035 (2019-2022)
⚬ See all publications
Publications supported by JSPS Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan (2026):
⚬ See all publications
Publications supported by NCN SONATA BIS 13 2023/50/E/ST3/00033 (2024-2029):
⚬ See all publications
Publications supported by NCN OPUS 18 2019/35/B/ST3/01207 (2020-2023):
⚬ See all publications
Publications supported by NAWA Polish Returns PPN/PPO/2018/1/00035 (2019-2022):
(63)
Electronic correlations driving Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity
J. Herbrych and M. Daghofer
arXiv: cond-mat/2605.30240
(62)
Graph-Theoretic Detection of Hilbert Space Fragmentation
A. Rutkowski, M. Mierzejewski, and J. Herbrych
arXiv: cond-mat/2605.17951
(61)
Boundary-driven magnetization transport in the spin-1/2 XXZ chain: Role of the system-bath coupling strength and timescales
M. Kempa, M. Kraft, S. Nandy, J. Herbrych, J. Wang, J. Gemmer, and R. Steinigeweg
Phys. Rev. B 113, 064431 (2026) & arXiv: cond-mat/2507.16528
(60)
Doping S=1 antiferromagnet in one-dimension
J. Prokopczyk and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. B 113, 024424 (2026) & arXiv: cond-mat/2508.07712
(59)
Tunable Hilbert space fragmentation and extended critical regime
M. Lisiecki, J. Bonča, M. Mierzejewski, J. Herbrych, and P. Łydżba
Phys. Rev. B 112, 195116 (2025) & arXiv: cond-mat/2505.09346
(58)
Finding local integrals of motion in quantum lattice models in the thermodynamic limit
J. Pawłowski, J. Herbrych, and M. Mierzejewski
Phys. Rev. B 112, 155130 (2025) & arXiv: cond-mat/2505.05882
(57)
Evidence for valence-bond pairing in a one-dimensional two-orbital system
M. Mierzejewski, E. Dagotto, and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. B 112, L041107 (2025) & arXiv: cond-mat/2411.03771
(56)
Spin and energy diffusion vs. subdiffusion in disordered spin chains
J. Herbrych and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. B 112, 045108 (2025) & arXiv: cond-mat/2504.15705
(55)
Magnon damping and mode softening in quantum double-exchange ferromagnets
A. Moreo, E. Dagotto, G. Alvarez, T. Tohyama, M. Mierzejewski, and J. Herbrych
Rep. Prog. Phys. 88, 068001 (2025) & arXiv: cond-mat/2503.01277
Featured in Physics World and Progress In series
(54)
Luther-Emery liquid and dominant singlet superconductivity in the two-orbital Hubbard chain
P. Laurell, J. Herbrych, G. Alvarez, and E. Dagotto
Phys. Rev. B 110, 064515 (2024) & arXiv: cond-mat/2311.13440
(53)
Lindblad dynamics from spatio-temporal correlation functions in nonintegrable spin-1/2 chains with different boundary conditions
M. Kraft, J. Richter, F. Jin, S. Nandy, Z. Lenarčič, J. Herbrych, K. Michielsen, H. De Raedt, J. Gemmer, and R. Steinigeweg
Phys. Rev. Res. 6, 023251 (2024) & arXiv: cond-mat/2402.18177
(52)
Long-living prethermalization in nearly integrable spin ladders
J. Pawłowski, M. Panfil, J. Herbrych, and M. Mierzejewski
Phys. Rev. B 109, L161109 (2024) & arXiv: cond-mat/2312.11975
(51)
Emergent dipole moment conservation and subdiffusion in tilted chains
S. Nandy, J. Herbrych, Z. Lenarčič, A. Głódkowski, P. Prelovšek, and M. Mierzejewski
Phys. Rev. B 109, 115120 (2024) & arXiv: cond-mat/2310.01862
(50)
Transition to the Haldane phase driven by electron-electron correlations
A. Jażdżewska, M. Mierzejewski, M. Środa, A. Nocera, G. Alvarez, E. Dagotto, and J. Herbrych
Nat. Commun. 14, 8524 (2023) & arXiv: cond-mat/2304.11154
(49)
The spin-1/2 XXZ chain coupled to two Lindblad baths: Constructing nonequilibrium steady states from equilibrium correlation functions
T. Heitmann, J. Richter, F. Jin, S. Nandy, Z. Lenarčič, J. Herbrych, K. Michielsen, H. De Raedt, J. Gemmer, and R. Steinigeweg
Phys. Rev. B 108, L201119 (2023) & arXiv: cond-mat/2303.00430
(48)
Spatially-anisotropic S=1 square-lattice antiferromagnet with single-ion anisotropy realized with a Ni(II) pyrazine-n,n'-dioxide (pyzdo) coordination polymer
J. L. Manson, D. M. Pajerowski, J. M. Donovan, B. Twamley, P. A. Goddard, R. Johnson, J. Bendix, J. Singleton, T. Lancaster, S. J. Blundell, J. Herbrych, P. J. Baker, A. J. Steele, F. L. Pratt, I. Franke-Chaudet, R. D. McDonald, A. Plonczak, and P. Manuel
Phys. Rev. B 108, 094425 (2023)
(47)
Spin diffusion in perturbed isotropic Heisenberg spin chain
S. Nandy, Z. Lenarčič, E. Ilievski, M. Mierzejewski, J. Herbrych, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. B 108, L081115 (2023) & arXiv: cond-mat/2211.17181
(46)
Real-time broadening of bath-induced density profiles from closed-system correlation functions
T. Heitmann, J. Richter, J. Herbrych, J. Gemmer, and R. Steinigeweg
Phys. Rev. E 108, 024102 (2023) & arXiv: cond-mat/2210.10528
(45)
Hund bands in spectra of multiorbital systems
M. Środa, J. Mravlje, G. Alvarez, E. Dagotto, and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. B 108, L081102 (2023) & arXiv: cond-mat/2210.11209
(44)
Slow diffusion and Thouless localization criterion in modulated spin chains
M. Mierzejewski, J. Herbrych, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. B 108, 035106 (2023) & arXiv: cond-mat/2302.03325
(43)
Quasiballistic transport in long-range anisotropic Heisenberg model
M. Mierzejewski, J. Wronowicz, J. Pawłowski, and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. B 107, 045134 (2023) & arXiv: cond-mat/2206.05960
(42)
From dissipationless to normal diffusion in easy-axis Heisenberg spin chain
P. Prelovšek, S. Nandy, Z. Lenarčič, M. Mierzejewski, and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. B 106, 245104 (2022) & arXiv: cond-mat/2205.11891
(41)
Multiple relaxation times in perturbed XXZ chain
M. Mierzejewski, J. Pawłowski, P. Prelovšek, and J. Herbrych
SciPost Phys. 13, 013 (2022) & arXiv: cond-mat/2112.08158
(40)
High-pressure inelastic neutron scattering study of the S=1 spin chain [Ni(HF2)(3-Clpyridine)4]BF4
D. M. Pajerowski, A. P. Podlesnyak, J. Herbrych, and J. Manson
Phys. Rev. B 105, 134420 (2022) & arXiv: cond-mat/2206.06249
(39)
Relaxation at different length-scales in models of many-body localization
J. Herbrych, M. Mierzejewski, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. B 105, L081105 (2022) & arXiv: cond-mat/2110.15635
(38)
Prediction of orbital selective Mott phases and block magnetic states in the quasi-one-dimensional iron chain Ce2O2FeSe2 under hole and electron doping
L.-F. Lin, Y. Zhang, G. Alvarez, J. Herbrych, A. Moreo, and E. Dagotto
Phys. Rev. B 105, 075119 (2022) & arXiv: cond-mat/2112.04049
(37)
Magnetization dynamics fingerprints of an excitonic condensate t42gmagnet
N. Kaushal, J. Herbrych, G. Alvarez, and E. Dagotto
Phys. Rev. B 104, 235135 (2021) & arXiv: cond-mat/2110.11828
(36)
Coexistence of diffusive and ballistic transport in integrable quantum lattice models
P. Prelovšek, M. Mierzejewski, and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. B 104, 115163 (2021) & arXiv: cond-mat/2107.02454
(35)
Quantum magnetism of iron-based ladders: blocks, spirals, and spin flux
M. Środa, E. Dagotto, and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. B 104, 045128 (2021) & arXiv: cond-mat/2105.04391
(34)
Diffusion in the Anderson model in higher dimensions
P. Prelovšek and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. B 103, L241107 (2021) & arXiv: cond-mat/2104.07801
(33)
Ballistic transport in integrable lattice models with degenerate spectra
M. Mierzejewski, J. Herbrych, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. B 103, 235115 (2021) & arXiv: cond-mat/2102.07467
(32)
Interaction-induced topological phase transition and Majorana edge states in low-dimensional orbital-selective Mott insulators
J. Herbrych, M. Środa, G. Alvarez, M. Mierzejewski, and E. Dagotto
Nat. Commun. 12, 2955 (2021) & arXiv: cond-mat/2011.05646
(31)
Resistivity and its fluctuations in disordered many-body systems: from chains to planes
M. Mierzejewski, M. Środa, J. Herbrych, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. B 102, 161111(R) (2020) & arXiv: cond-mat/2003.00495
(30)
Block orbital-selective Mott insulators: a spin excitation analysis
J. Herbrych, G. Alvarez, A. Moreo, and E. Dagotto
Phys. Rev. B 102, 115134 (2020) & arXiv: cond-mat/2006.09495
(29)
Prediction of exotic magnetic states in the alkali metal quasi-one-dimensional iron selenide compound Na2FeSe2
B. Pandey, L.-F. Lin, R. Soni, N. Kaushal, J. Herbrych, G. Alvarez, and E. Dagotto
Phys. Rev. B 102, 035149 (2020) & arXiv: cond-mat/2005.13132
(28)
Block-spiral magnetism: An exotic type of frustrated order
J. Herbrych, J. Heverhagen, G. Alvarez, M. Daghofer, A. Moreo, and E. Dagotto
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 117, 16226 (2020) & arXiv: cond-mat/1911.12248
(27)
Vanishing Wilson ratio as the hallmark of quantum spin-liquid models
P. Prelovšek, K. Morita, T. Tohyama, and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. Research 2, 023024 (2020) & arXiv: cond-mat/1912.00876
(26)
Inelastic neutron scattering study of the anisotropic S=1 spin chain [Ni(HF2)(3-Clpyridine)4]BF4
D. M. Pajerowski, J. L. Manson, J. Herbrych, J. Bendix, A. P. Podlesnyak, J. M. Cain, and M. W. Meisel
Phys. Rev. B 101, 094431 (2020) & arXiv: cond-mat/2001.08555
(25)
Charge-density-wave melting in the one-dimensional Holstein model
J. Stolpp, J. Herbrych, F. Dorfner, E. Dagotto, and F. Heidrich-Meisner
Phys. Rev. B 101, 035134 (2020) & arXiv: cond-mat/1911.01718
(24)
Novel magnetic block states in low-dimensional iron-based superconductors
J. Herbrych, J. Heverhagen, N. D. Patel, G. Alvarez, M. Daghofer, A. Moreo, and E. Dagotto
Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 027203 (2019) & arXiv: cond-mat/1812.00325
(23)
Magnetization and energy dynamics in spin ladders: Evidence of diffusion in time, frequency, position, and momentum
J. Richter, F. Jin, L. Knipschild, J. Herbrych, H. De Raedt, K. Michielsen, J. Gemmer, and R. Steinigeweg
Phys. Rev. B 99, 144422 (2019) & arXiv: cond-mat/1811.02806
(22)
Sudden removal of a static force in a disordered system: Induced dynamics, thermalization, and transport
J. Richter, J. Herbrych, and R. Steinigeweg
Phys. Rev. B 98, 134302 (2018) & arXiv: cond-mat/1808.00497
(21)
Non-equilibrium mass transport in the Fermi-Hubbard model
S. Scherg, T. Kohlert, J. Herbrych, J. Stolpp, P. Bordia, U. Schneider, F. Heidrich-Meisner, I. Bloch, and M. Aidelsburger
Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 130402 (2018) & arXiv: cond-mat/1805.10990
(20)
Spin dynamics of the block orbital-selective Mott phase
J. Herbrych, N. Kaushal, A. Nocera, G. Alvarez, A. Moreo, and E. Dagotto
Nat. Commun. 9, 3736 (2018) & arXiv: cond-mat/1804.01959
(19)
Density-matrix renormalization group study of a three-orbital Hubbard model with spin-orbit coupling in one dimension
N. Kaushal, J. Herbrych, A. Nocera, G. Alvarez, A. Moreo, F. A. Reboredo, and E. Dagotto
Phys. Rev. B 96, 155111 (2017) & arXiv: cond-mat/1707.04313
(18)
Efficiency of fermionic quantum distillation
J. Herbrych, A. E. Feiguin, E. Dagotto, and F. Heidrich-Meisner
Phys. Rev. A 96, 033617 (2017) & arXiv: cond-mat/1707.01792
(17)
Possible bicollinear nematic state with monoclinic lattice distortions in iron telluride compounds
C. B. Bishop, J. Herbrych, E. Dagotto, and A. Moreo
Phys. Rev. B 96, 035144 (2017) & arXiv: cond-mat/1704.03495
(16)
Self-consistent approach to many-body localization and subdiffusion
P. Prelovšek and J. Herbrych
Phys. Rev. B 96, 035130 (2017) & arXiv: cond-mat/1609.05450
(15)
Dynamics of locally coupled oscillators with next-nearest-neighbor interaction
J. Herbrych, A. G. Chazirakis, N. Christakis, and J. J. P. Veerman
Differ. Equ. & Dyn. Syst. 29, 487 (2021) & arXiv: math/1506.07381
(14)
Density correlations and transport in models of many-body localization
P. Prelovšek, M. Mierzejewski, O. Barišić, and J. Herbrych
Ann. Phys. (Berlin) 529, 1600362 (2017) & arXiv: cond-mat/1611.03611
(13)
Interaction-induced weakening of localization in few-particle disordered Heisenberg chains
D. Schmidtke, R. Steinigeweg, J. Herbrych, and J. Gemmer
Phys. Rev. B 95, 134201 (2017) & arXiv: cond-mat/1607.05664
(12)
Effective realization of random magnetic fields in compounds with large single-ion anisotropy
J. Herbrych and J. Kokalj
Phys. Rev. B 95, 125129 (2017) & arXiv: cond-mat/1606.06013
(11)
Universal dynamics of density correlations at the transition to many-body localized state
M. Mierzejewski, J. Herbrych, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. B 94, 224207 (2016) & arXiv: cond-mat/1607.04992
(10)
Typicality approach to the optical conductivity in thermal and many-body localized phases
R. Steinigeweg, J. Herbrych, F. Pollmann, and W. Brenig
Phys. Rev. B 94, 180401(R) (2016) & arXiv: cond-mat/1512.08519
(9)
Light induced magnetization in a spin S=1 easy-plane antiferromagnetic chain
J. Herbrych and X. Zotos
Phys. Rev. B 93, 134412 (2016) & arXiv: cond-mat/1505.03004
(8)
Heat conductivity of the Heisenberg spin-1/2 ladder: From weak to strong breaking of integrability
R. Steinigeweg, J. Herbrych, X. Zotos, and W. Brenig
Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 017202 (2016) & arXiv: cond-mat/1503.03871
(7)
Antiferromagnetic order in weakly coupled random spin chains
J. Kokalj, J. Herbrych, A. Zheludev, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. B 91, 155147 (2015) & arXiv: cond-mat/1409.1757
(6)
Effective S=1/2 description of the S=1 chain with strong easy plane anisotropy
C. Psaroudaki, J. Herbrych, J. Karadamoglou, P. Prelovšek, X. Zotos, and N. Papanicolaou
Phys. Rev. B 89, 224418 (2014) & arXiv: cond-mat/1404.3064
(5)
Local spin relaxation within the random Heisenberg chain
J. Herbrych, J. Kokalj, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 147203 (2013) & arXiv: cond-mat/1307.0370
(4)
Eigenstate thermalization within isolated spin-chain systems
R. Steinigeweg, J. Herbrych, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. E 87, 012118 (2013) & arXiv: cond-mat/1208.6143
(3)
Spin hydrodynamics in the S=1/2 anisotropic Heisenberg chain
J. Herbrych, R. Steinigeweg, and P. Prelovšek
Phys. Rev. B 86, 115106 (2012) & arXiv: cond-mat/1206.4248
(2)
Coexistence of anomalous and normal diffusion in integrable Mott insulators
R. Steinigeweg, J. Herbrych, P. Prelovšek, and M. Mierzejewski
Phys. Rev. B 85, 214409 (2012) & arXiv: cond-mat/1201.2844
(1)
Finite-temperature Drude weight within the anisotropic Heisenberg chain
J. Herbrych, P. Prelovšek, and X. Zotos
Phys. Rev. B 84, 155125 (2011) & arXiv: cond-mat/1107.3027