Simon J. Bending Explained

Simon J. Bending
Birth Date:	October 29, 1957
Birth Place:	Brentwood, Essex, UK
Workplaces:	University of Bath University of Cambridge Stanford University
Alma Mater:	University of Cambridge
Thesis Title:	Tunneling and Transport via Localised States in α-Si Tunnel Barriers
Thesis Url:	https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/handle/2066/29865
Thesis Year:	1985
Doctoral Advisor:	Malcolm Beasley
Academic Advisors:	Malcolm Beasley Theodore H. Geballe Klaus von Klitzing
Known For:	Superconductivity Scanning Hall probe microscopy

Simon John Bending, (born 29 October 1957) is a British physicist. He is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Bath, where he was the Head of department from 2013 to 2016.^[1] He is co-director of the Bath-Exeter Centre for Graphene Science^{[2] [3]} and deputy director of the Bath-Bristol EPRSC Centre for Doctoral Training in Condensed Matter Physics.^{[4] [5]} He developed scanning Hall probe microscopy and has made notable contributions to the field of superconductors.

Early life and education

Bending was born in Brentwood, Essex 29 October 1957 and attended St Peter's School,^[6] in South Weald, from 1962 to 1969 and then King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford from 1969 to 1976. In 1979, he graduated B.A. Hons (1st. class) in Natural Sciences - Physics from the University of Cambridge. He obtained his PhD in 1985, from the Applied Physics Department at Stanford University.

Research

Following his PhD, Bending joined the group of Dr P. Guéret at IBM Research Laboratories, Zürich, Switzerland, as a postdoc, in 1985. In 1986, he became a postdoc in the group of Prof. Klaus von Klitzing, at the Max Planck Institut FKF, in Stuttgart, Germany. An year earlier, Von Klitzing had been awarded the Physics Nobel Prize. Bending joined the University of Bath in 1989, first as a Lecturer and then as a Senior Lecturer, from 1995. In 1991–92, Bending supervised Andre Geim as a postdoc in his group. Geim was subsequently awarded the 2010 Physics Nobel Prize. In 1996, Bending was promoted to Reader and, in 2000, he was appointed to a personal chair in the Department of Physics.

Much of Bending's research evolved from his development of scanning Hall probe microscopy.^[7] Highlights of his work include studies of vortex matter in highly anisotropic superconductors,^{[8] [9]} ferromagnetic superconductors,^{[10] [11]} ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructures,^[12] domain wall phenomena and dynamics in ferromagnetic thin films^[13] and the realisation of novel hybrid material structures by electrocrystallisation.^{[14] [15] [16]} More recently the focus of Bending's research has shifted to new physics in two-dimensional crystals, e.g., graphene and other layered (super)conductors.^{[17] [18]}

Awards and recognition

• Elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
• 2002, Mott Prize Lecture at the European Physical Society Condensed Matter meeting, Brighton.
• 1999, Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship
• 1990, Joint winner of the Philip Morris Prize for Information Technology and Communications, Münich, Germany.
• 1984, IBM Student Fellowship at Stanford University, California.

Notes and References

1. https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/persons/simon-bending Prof Simon Bending University of Bath profile
2. https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/G036101/1 EPSRC grant details
3. https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_251596_en.html University of Exeter press release
4. https://www.cdt-cmp.ac.uk/people/team/ The CDR-CMP team
5. https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/L015544/1 EPSRC grant details
6. https://www.stpeterssouthweald.org/ St Peter’s School
7. Oral. A.. Bending. S.J.. Henini. M.. Real‐time scanning Hall probe microscopy. Applied Physics Letters. 69. 9. 1324–1326. 1996. 10.1063/1.117582. 1996ApPhL..69.1324O.
8. Grigorenko. A.. Bending. S.J.. Tamegai. T.. Ooi. S.. Henini. M.. A one-dimensional chain state of vortex matter. Nature. 414. 6865. 728–731. 2001. 10.1038/414728a. 11742393. 2001Natur.414..728G. 4384475.
9. Cole. D.. Bending. S.J.. Savel'Ev. S.. Grigorenko. A.. Tamegai. T.. Nori. F.. Ratchet without spatial asymmetry for controlling the motion of magnetic flux quanta using time-asymmetric drives. Nature Materials. 5. 4. 305–311. 2006. 10.1038/nmat1608. 16532001. 2006NatMa...5..305C. 123223565.
10. Collomb. D.. Bending. S.J.. Koshelev. A.E.. Smylie. M.P.. Farrar. L.. Bao. K.-B.. Chung. D.Y.. Kanatzidis. M.G.. Kwok. W.-K.. Welp. U.. Observing the Suppression of Superconductivity in BrEuFe₄As₄ by Correlated Magnetic Fluctuations. Physical Review Letters. 126. 15. 157001. 2021. 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.157001. 33929261. 2010.09901. 2021PhRvL.126o7001C. 224803375.
11. https://scitechdaily.com/physicists-uncover-new-mechanism-enabling-magnetism-and-superconductivity-to-co-exist-in-the-same-material/ Physicists Uncover New Mechanism Enabling Magnetism and Superconductivity to Co-exist in the Same Material
12. Van Bael. M.J.. Bekaert. J.. Temst. K.. Van Look. L.. Moshchalkov. V.V.. Bruynseraede. Y.. Howells. G.D.. Grigorenko. A.N.. Bending. S.J.. Borghs. G.. Local observation of field polarity dependent flux pinning by magnetic dipoles. Physical Review Letters. 86. 1. 155–158. 2001. 10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.155. 11136117. 2001PhRvL..86..155V.
13. San Emeterio Alvarez. L.. Wang. K.-Y.. Lepadatu. S.. Landi. S.. Bending. S.J.. Marrows. C.H.. Spin-transfer-torque-assisted domain-wall creep in a Co/Pt multilayer wire. Physical Review Letters. 104. 13. 137205. 2010. 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.137205. 20481911. 2010PhRvL.104m7205S.
14. Lukyanchuk. I.. Vinokur. V.M.. Rydh. A.. Xie. R.. Milošević. M.V.. Welp. U.. Zach. M.. Xiao. Z.L.. Crabtree. G.W.. Bending. S.J.. Peeters. F.M.. Kwok. W.-K.. Rayleigh instability of confined vortex droplets in critical superconductors. Nature Physics. 11. 1. 21–25. 2015. 10.1038/nphys3146. 2015NatPh..11...21L. free.
15. Flokstra. M.G.. Satchell. N.. Kim. J.. Burnell. G.. Curran. P.J.. Bending. S.J.. JFK Cooper. M.. Cooper. J.F.K.. Kinane. C.J.. Langridge. S.. Isidori. A.. Pugach. N.. Eschrig. M.. Luetkens. H.. Suter. A.. Prokscha. T.. Lee. S.L.. Remotely induced magnetism in a normal metal using a superconducting spin-valve. Nature Physics. 12. 1. 57–61. 2016. 10.1038/nphys3486. 1505.03565. 2016NatPh..12...57F. 31851623.
16. https://www.myscience.uk/news/2015/magnetised_gold_heralds_new_generation_of_electronics-2015-Bath Magnetised gold heralds new generation of electronics
17. Farrar. L.S.. Nevill. A. Lim. Z.J.. Balakrishnan. G.. Dale. S.. Bending. S.J.. Superconducting Quantum Interference in Twisted van der Waals Heterostructures. Nano Letters. 21. 16. 6725–6731. 2021. 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c00152. 34428907. 8397396. 2101.04557. 2021NanoL..21.6725F.
18. https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/09/superconducting-flakes-could-outperform-quantum-computer-parts/ Superconducting flakes could outperform quantum computer parts