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The relationship between the magnetic field direction and the spatial intensity distribution of a radially polarized light passing through a polarized thermal atom ensemble is investigated, which is intuitively presented in a polarization selection absorption effect of thermal atoms. The radially polarized light has a spatial axisymmetric polarization structure, which is set as the probe beam. If the direction of the applied magnetic field is transformed, the absorption of the alignment atomic system to special polarization components of the probe light is changed, resulting in a different absorption ratio. This allows the 3D vector direction of the magnetic field to be inferred by using only the absorption ratio and the projection coefficient of the transmission intensity pattern. Based on this, this work provides a compass based on a thermal atom system, demonstrating a new method for measuring the magnetic field direction in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ‘relational turn’ has been widely embraced in Human Geography and related fields over the last couple of decades as an alternative to the hubris of modern and colonial reasoning. Yet, increasingly, concerns over the extent that contemporary conceptualisations are overly ‘generative’, ‘productivist’ and ‘affirmational’ has come to the fore. There is significant interest in the possibilities for more negative understandings, highlighting failure, attrition, voiding, exhaustion, impotentiality, incompleteness and attributes of ‘non‐relation’. We draw out how, to date, most of these approaches have developed a hermeneutic approach, seeking to bring the negative and the non‐relational into the world as forces of disruption and refusal, holding open other possibilities of knowing and being in the world and enabling alternative political imaginaries. This paper seeks to outline an alternative mode of critique, one that places both relational and negative approaches under the scrutiny of an ‘abyssal’ approach. Here, after Fanon, the world violently forged into the global colour line is bifurcated via the construction of the modern subject, capable of reading itself as a subject in the world and through Human Geography as a field of study. In this always already antiblack world, the goal of ‘Abyssal Geography’ is not to continue worlding the modern subject in new ways, but to analyse and critique the mechanisms and shifts in critical thought through which Human Geography continues to salvage and to redeem the purchase of the modern subject and the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short paper introduces a special section exploring how human geographers use research notebooks. It outlines why a fuller exchange about how exactly we do ethnographic note‐taking in human geography is worthwhile, and describes a series of conference sessions in which a group of human geographers took the relatively bold step of showing each other examples of what could be found inside their notebooks. It also provides an overview of how the papers in the special section might help us all to consider the variety of options available to us when we choose to work in this way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated radiation‐type metasurfaces (RA‐M) have gained importance in the development of next‐generation wireless communications and integrated electronics. They facilitate advanced electromagnetic (EM) wave control with a single radiation aperture. However, most RA‐Ms fail to simultaneously decouple the amplitude, phase, and polarization information of the spatial radiation wavefront owing to the intrinsic restrictions of the meta‐radiator and limited design strategy. This study proposes and demonstrates a full‐space non‐interleaved RA‐M platform capable of precise complex‐vector‐field (CVF) Jones vector reconstruction of both near and far fields in the microwave region. The method is based on the global interaction of linear‐polarized (LP) meta‐radiators, which are organized via the LP‐basis inverse design methodology; thus, the near‐ and far‐field Jones vectors of the radiated wavefront can be subjected to customized reconstruction. The existing unidirectional meta‐radiators are further pushed to bidirectional spaces, facilitating diverse full‐space multiplexing integrated meta‐devices, such as bidirectional multi‐polarization routers and full‐space vectorial hologram modulators. The proposed RA‐M unlocks the unequaled potential of radiated CVF, thereby paving a promising pathway for integrated electronic device technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines transport and mobility in rural and remote communities, focusing on trade‐offs between development and environmental protection in the Anthropocene. In Sarawak, a state of Malaysia, unpaved logging roads provide basic mobility for remote communities while contributing to the unsustainable and inequitable extraction of natural resources. I argue that the conditions under which transport infrastructure is provided prevent the possibility for sustainable development and pitch local people against a landscape that is the source of livelihoods and identities. The paper is interested in the life and agency of infrastructure and the environment, new materialism and critical approaches to development within human geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflections on the state of Geography around the globe have noted multiple challenges and opportunities—including a call for the reconfiguring of the discipline as a critical space of care and praxis (Daya, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 47, 9, 2022). Such a call is indelibly connected to broader conversations on the politics of knowledge production and critical engagements with cultures of knowledge production. In order to realise the reconfiguring of the discipline, it is imperative to engage with the multi‐scalar politics and practices of knowledge production, to look beyond global inequalities and critically examine the intra‐national inequities and structural biases of knowledge production. Through a focus on South African Human Geography and detailed analysis of publication data and interviews with staff at universities across the country, we critically examine how the 'haunting' of apartheid legacies contributes to a double‐peripheralisation of staff at historically disadvantaged institutions while critical conversations remain 'whispered in corridors'. This more granular engagement with the politics and practices of knowledge production highlights the entwining of intra‐ and inter‐national privilege which produces a mosaic of 'cores' and 'peripheries' in the uneven landscape of knowledge production that requires critical scholars to engage with on multiple scales in order to realise a more just and equitable knowledge economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How atmospheric pollution is perceived by urban dwellers has long been a topic of interest within geography and the social sciences, whether to draw attention to environmental injustices, to better understand the materialities and affects associated with polluted air, or to grasp how people 'tune in' to polluted matter. In this paper, we draw on three interrelated geographical and social science literatures on polluted air to inform our exploration of how residents of an industrial town in the UK encounter and perceive localised ambient air pollution. Using creative methods, we explore residents' narrative accounts of everyday life in the town, revealing how their engagements with the matter of pollution over time are drawn from multiple registers, giving rise to a plurality of perceptions filled with tensions between near and far, and between past, present and future, producing an ambiguous atmosphere all of its own. The paper contributes to geographic explorations of urban atmospheres an understanding of how they are differently experienced and known, and how residential perceptions might persist or change over different timescales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers reflections about the use of a longitudinal qualitative research design in a project which explored the long term impacts of flooding in two communities in North‐East Scotland. A temporal turn in the social sciences has raised the profile of longitudinal qualitative approaches, research whose diachronic framing allows trajectories and nuanced understandings of change to emerge. With reference to research which utilised a planned prospective longitudinal design, we offer reflections on methodological and project management 'lessons learnt' from undertaking a longitudinal qualitative study. Our experiences highlighted the importance of: (i) participant recruitment processes, including a need to 'oversample' to accommodate anticipated attrition rates; (ii) developing and sustaining a relationship between participants and researchers; (iii) reporting interim findings to participants, the funder and flood risk management stakeholders via a project Steering Group in particular; and (iv) agreeing a regular reporting schedule which allowed the funder and stakeholders access to findings during the lifetime of the project which, in turn, allowed impact to be generated before the final report was presented. In sharing our experiences our intention is twofold: to open a debate in human geography about how longitudinal qualitative research could be used more widely, in natural hazards research, rural community change and other research areas; and to illustrate that longitudinal qualitative research generates insights that can contribute to evidence‐based policy development, implementation and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary reflects on the contributions that human geography has made to climate change research, as well as future directions for human geographic work on climate change. I suggest that one of the key achievements of the field is to render climate change a boundary object: an entity whose interpretive flexibility allows it to become a shared object of knowledge that, in principle, facilitates collaboration across disparate communities of practice. However, the ways in which that contribution has been made, and made possible, have effects that ripple elsewhere. While the subfield of political ecology and its historiographical methods have played vital roles in laying the intellectual foundations for human geographic work on climate change, and thus its ability to construct climate change as a boundary object in the first place, I suggest that they and other neo‐Marxian approaches to the study of the (climate‐changing) environment tend to diminish human geographic engagement with the future as an object of scholarly inquiry. To address that limitation and help push climate‐changed geographies in novel directions, I suggest that climate‐changed futures be engaged problematically. I then conclude with a discussion of key empirical domains—chiefly climate reparations and climate adaptation—where such problem‐oriented work may be productively applied. This commentary explores one of human geography's key contributions to climate change knowledge: that it has helped make climate change political. However, the ways that human geographers have made climate change political often rely on historiographic methods, which can bound geographic engagement with the future as an object of inquiry in its own right. The commentary then offers ways to open up the future in geographic work on climate change, specifically through problem‐oriented and reparative critique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial vessels play a significant role in rescuing migrants on the Mediterranean. There are physical and financial risks to performing these commercial rescues that are poorly understood and often ignored. For ship captains, migrants in maritime distress embody the close linkages between geoeconomic and geopolitical risk. I argue that the negotiation of migrant rescues by commercial shipping captains captures the ways in which geoeconomic and geopolitical security‐seeking discourses become entangled and contradictorily embodied in everyday life and suffering. The rationale and logic that underwrite the securitisation of the supply chain is the discursive site where geopolitical and geoeconomic strategy define the risks in maritime rescue space. This study extends from a conceptual framework that identifies the spatial structuring of an ongoing dialectic between geopolitical and geoeconomic strategy as a defining feature of geoeconomic analyses. The research is based on interviews with 24 maritime professionals and a series of freedom of information requests to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) for information about rescues involving commercial ships. This paper contributes new information on the human geography of maritime rescues that involve commercial ships and migrants in the Central Mediterranean. Commercial vessels play a significant role in rescuing migrants on the Mediterranean. There are physical and financial risks to performing these commercial rescues that are poorly understood and often ignored. For ship captains, migrants in maritime distress embody the close linkages between geoeconomic and geopolitical risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen vacancy is the most common type of point defects in functional oxides, and it is known to have profound influence on their properties. This is particularly true for ferroelectric oxides since their interaction with ferroelectric polarization often dictates the ferroelectric responses. Here, we study the influence of the concentration of oxygen vacancies on the stability of ferroelectric domain walls (DWs) in BiFeO3, a material with a relatively narrow bandgap among all perovskite oxides, which enables strong interactions among electronic charge carriers, oxygen vacancies, and ferroelectric domains. It is found that the electronic charge carriers in the absence of oxygen vacancies have essentially no influence on the spatial polarization distribution of the DWs due to their low concentrations. Upon increasing the concentration of oxygen vacancies, charge‐neutral DWs with an originally symmetric polarization distribution symmetric around the center of the wall can develop a strong asymmetry of the polarization field, which is mediated by the electrostatic interaction between polarization and electrons from the ionization of oxygen vacancies. Strongly charged head‐to‐head DWs that are unstable without oxygen vacancies can be energetically stabilized in the off‐stoichiometric BiFeO3−δ with δ ∼ 0.02 where ionization of oxygen vacancies provides sufficient free electrons to compensate the bound charge at the wall. Our results delineate the electrostatic coupling of the ionic defects and the associated free electronic charge carriers with the bound charge in the vicinity of neutral and charged DWs in perovskite ferroelectrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen vacancy is the most common type of point defects in functional oxides, and it is known to have profound influence on their properties. This is particularly true for ferroelectric oxides since their interaction with ferroelectric polarization often dictates the ferroelectric responses. Here, we study the influence of the concentration of oxygen vacancies on the stability of ferroelectric domain walls (DWs) in BiFeO3, a material with a relatively narrow bandgap among all perovskite oxides, which enables strong interactions among electronic charge carriers, oxygen vacancies, and ferroelectric domains. It is found that the electronic charge carriers in the absence of oxygen vacancies have essentially no influence on the spatial polarization distribution of the DWs due to their low concentrations. Upon increasing the concentration of oxygen vacancies, charge‐neutral DWs with an originally symmetric polarization distribution symmetric around the center of the wall can develop a strong asymmetry of the polarization field, which is mediated by the electrostatic interaction between polarization and electrons from the ionization of oxygen vacancies. Strongly charged head‐to‐head DWs that are unstable without oxygen vacancies can be energetically stabilized in the off‐stoichiometric BiFeO3−δ with δ ∼ 0.02 where ionization of oxygen vacancies provides sufficient free electrons to compensate the bound charge at the wall. Our results delineate the electrostatic coupling of the ionic defects and the associated free electronic charge carriers with the bound charge in the vicinity of neutral and charged DWs in perovskite ferroelectrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of positive intergroup contact for intergroup attitudes are well‐established. Yet individual and group self‐segregation practices demonstrate that opportunities for intergroup contact are not sufficient for contact uptake; and persistent institutionalized segregation reinforces and compounds this problem. Hence, we need to understand what drives people towards and away from intergroup contact and what consequences the capacity to deliberately engage or avoid contact has for individuals, groups, and communities. This paper formally introduces the concept of intergroup contact volition: our perceived personal control over intergroup contact engagement and avoidance. We demonstrate this concept's theoretical, political, and practical significance by highlighting its embeddedness in both old and recent literature. We document debates around volition in early intergroup contact research and note a prolonged neglect since. After discussing reasons for that neglect, we present a detailed analysis of the concept, outlining how the idea of volition itself is contested and political, as well as the ways it intersects with broader societal power and status dynamics. We then outline pathways for future research, including investigations of when taking volition away (making contact mandated) might be helpful, intersections between psychological and human geography perspectives on volition, and connections between volition and system justification. We argue that contact volition is intimately and ultimately linked to issues of social change: support of, versus resistance to, policies promoting intergroup integration. As a result, an enhanced understanding of volition is critical to developing intergroup contact research and practice into outcomes that maximize social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the observation that the notion of "multiple geographies" has gained considerable traction in geographical research in the past years while its theoretical foundations have often remained abstract, in this paper we contribute toward elaboration of multiple geographies as a research perspective, recognizing its potential as a valuable framework for analyzing divergent spatial relations. Initially, we provide an overview of the diverse applications of multiple geographies through a review of relevant literature, focusing on papers within the realms of political geographies that mention the term in their title or abstract. Subsequently, we categorize these papers thematically, identifying three main theoretical strains: post‐colonial geographies, uneven geographical development, and feminist geographies. We then propose a theoretical scaffold for navigating the complexities of multiple geographies by engaging with broader discussions on plurality and multiplicity in relation to the aforementioned strains. Finally, we synthesize the insights garnered from this analysis, exploring the potential of a multiple geographies research perspective to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the diverse ways in which space is produced and experienced. Our contribution aims to enrich ongoing debates within human geography on how space can be redefined in more relational, decolonial, socially just, feminist, and diverse ways, opening pathways for pluralistic geographical imaginations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel ternary 2D material Bi2O2Se exhibits numerous unique properties in the optical discipline due to its distinctive structure, rendering it of significant research importance and application potential in the domains of new‐generation microelectronics, optoelectronic sensors, and multidimensional optical recognition. However, the optical anisotropy and multidimensional angular resolution of Bi2O2Se have yet to be investigated under the condition of 3D spatial variation of incidence angle. Herein, the spatial optical sensing of the few‐layer Bi2O2Se is investigated under 3D spatially varying incidence conditions using a combination of polarized Raman spectroscopy and multidimensional angle‐resolved spectroscopy. By manipulating the incident angle conditions and adjusting the sample placement angle, a comprehensive optical characterization of materials from diverse spatial orientations is conducted. It is observed that few‐layer Bi2O2Se exhibits a systematically transformed multidimensional spatial photoresponse within visible and near‐infrared wavelengths. This demonstrates the capability of Bi2O2Se as photosensitive semiconductors for 3D stereo optical detection. Furthermore, finite difference time domain simulations reveal that the spatial optical anisotropy of few‐layer Bi2O2Se can be manifested under 3D variable‐angle incidence conditions. The work serves as a crucial guide for the future of Bi2O2Se in anisotropic integrated optics applications, based on polarization‐based chiral recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs the aspirations‐capabilities framework to explore the intricate interplay between choices and constraints shaping migrants' settlement patterns, with a particular emphasis on the often‐overlooked aspect of educational attainment. Using Swedish register data containing information about migrants' educational level, this paper examines and typifies the initial residential sorting patterns of migrants arriving in Sweden in the period 2000–2014. Employing multinomial logistic regression to understand how migrant sorting takes place, the results show a clear distinction in settlement patterns, with higher educated migrants being more likely to settle in metropolitan areas, and lower educated migrants ending up in rural areas, even when controlling for region of origin and purpose of migration. Nordic and African migrants, resettled refugees, older migrants, and migrant families with younger children are most likely to live in sparsely populated areas. The paper concludes that these trends exacerbate existing patterns of spatial polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In music production, a sonic artifact refers to sonic material that is accidental or unwanted, typically the result of the manipulation of sound. This understanding connotes both physical and figurative meanings: artifact as material alteration and as subjectively defined auditory disturbance. Both meanings attune the act of listening to noise—the perception of which relies on normative conceptions of rationality. This article takes up the sonic artifact as an aesthetic figure to listen to Latinx Chicago with attention to vinyl records (or discos) as literal material artifacts and asks: how do discos broadcast—in embodied and symbolic ways—the racialized politics of urban territory, and in turn amplify forms of spatial entitlement? Chicago's racial geography relies on the social reproduction of valuable forms of inequality that render Latinx communities displaceable, or unheard. What place‐making strategies emerge given such profound and intersecting dispossessions, and how are they amplified within the aural public sphere? El disco es cultura provides one answer. As curatorial practice, it embodies a phonoaesthetic assemblage of transcultural and transhemispheric sounds and connections that avails sonic artifacts as layered auditory experiences forged within the politics of displacement, pointing us toward the materiality of Latinx place‐making aesthetics and auditory fields of social recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a historical overview of Quebec geography, discussing its development through textbooks, universities, and professional practice. It explores the unique perspectives and contributions of Quebec geography, including its focus on the North and engagement with indigenous issues. The article acknowledges criticisms of the discipline, such as its limited presence in schools and lack of participation in societal debates. The text also discusses the evolution of geography in Quebec over the past decade, highlighting changes in approaches, techniques, and education, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasizes the need for geography to adapt to new conceptions of living together and ideological pluralism, particularly in areas such as climate, risks, extractivism, and surveillance technologies. The text concludes by presenting seven contributions that showcase the dynamism and ability of Quebec geography to engage in dialogue with a broader geographical community. [Extracted from the article]

In light of the challenges surrounding the conceptualization and definition of spatial justice within our increasingly data‐driven society, this article commences an inquiry into the convergence of space, justice, and data within human geography literature and related disciplines, focusing notably on the urban field. The paper outlines theories concerning social justice‐based rights to the city, especially emphasizing the significance of existing literature that bridges such theories with recent scholarship on data justice. It supplements these discussions by deriving a theoretical framework for digital spatial justice rooted in other space‐based theories, exploring the more‐than‐human realms of non‐human entities, affect, and information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, the possibility of two complete conversions is investigated, one is from the two‐photon hyperentangled Knill–Laflamme–Milburn (KLM) state to hyperentangled Bell states, the other is from three‐photon KLM state to the hyperentangled Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger states, for photonic systems hyper‐encoded in polarization and spatial degrees of freedom assisted by error‐heralded quantum units (EHQUs). The system inhomogeneity and/or the imperfect photon scattering often restrict the performance of effective conversions of two types of hyperentangled states, and result in the reductions of the fidelity and the efficiency in tangible quantum information technologies. The polarization EHQU and spatial EHQU are two critical tools for actualizing two hyperentangled conversions in a heralded way, as the errors stemming from the system inhomogeneity and practically imperfect scattering are converted into efficacious responses of the detectors in our protocols. Thus, the fidelities of these conversion cases keep unchanged and have close to unity fidelities, which deepen the understanding of the properties of hyperentanglement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This text provides an overview of the historical and contemporary significance of Makkah and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on the annual Islamic pilgrimage, the Hajj. It emphasizes the global importance of Makkah as a religious and cultural center, as well as Saudi Arabia's efforts to accommodate a large number of pilgrims and tourists as part of its economic diversification plan. The text also explores the urban development of Jeddah and its connections to the Hajj, and mentions the book "Imperial Mecca" by Michael Christopher Low, which examines the impact of European imperialism on the administration of the pilgrimage. Additionally, the text discusses three other books that provide insights into the history and experiences of Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula and their interactions with the wider world. These books offer valuable perspectives on Muslim mobilities and the complex relationships between religion, politics, and society in the region. [Extracted from the article]

Ever since labour geography first started demonstrating workers' ability to shape geographies, geographers have problematised the agency of labour. This article responds to a recent intervention by Strauss (2020a; Progress in Human Geography 44 [1]:150-159), challenging the sub-discipline to reflect on who counts as a worker and what counts as work. By combining theories of roles and intersectionality, the article poses a related question: as whom do workers act? Theoretically, a critical realist approach to labour agency forms the basis for an intersectional reading of the active subject. To illustrate our argument, we juxtapose the accounts of three people who speak for groups of workers or are asked to justify the actions of collective actors like unions or social movements. By showing how these actors improvise their own role incumbency while actively negotiating social identities, the article problematises the epistemology of constrained labour agency while responding to Strauss' call for a rethinking of the ontologies of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In late February 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine set‐off a tide of refugees heading west. The paper discusses the scale of the refugee flow into Poland, its distribution patterns and its influence on existing demographic structures (both captured at a local LAU 1 scale). By studying refugee flows at three time‐points, the study, on the one hand, offers a dynamic analysis and, on the other, identifies the spatial patterns behind the movements of the successive waves of refugees. Unexpected wave of recent immigration is likely to strengthen the demographic and settlement processes observable in Poland. The above pertains to both the overall concentration in major metropolitan areas, as well as to suburbanisation processes. The areas with the highest depopulation (eastern Poland) have recorded a relatively low influx of refugees. This implies that it cannot be expected that the immigration may be of a compensatory nature and that it will be helpful in making up for structural population losses in such areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper positions possibilities for human geographies of the sea. The growing volume of work under this banner has been largely qualitative in its approach, reflecting, in turn, the questions posed by oceanic scholars. These questions necessitate corresponding methods. Whilst this is not necessarily a problem, and the current corpus of work has offered many significant contributions, in making sense of the human dimensions of maritime worlds, other questions --and methods--may generate knowledge that is useful within this remit of work. This paper considers the place of quantitative approaches in posing lines of enquiry about shipping, one of the prominent areas of concern under the banner of 'human geographies of the seas'. There is longstanding work in transport geographies concerned with shipping, logistics, freight movement and global connections, which embraces quantitative methods which could be bridged to ask fresh questions about oceanic spatial phenomena past and present. This paper reviews the state of the art of human geographies of the sea and transport geographies and navigates how the former field may be stimulated by some of the interests of the latter and a broader range of questions about society-sea-space relations. The paper focuses on Automatic Identification Systems (or AIS) as a potentially useful tool for connecting debates, and deepening spatial understandings of the seas and shipping beyond current scholarship. To advance the argument the example of shipping layups is used to illustrate or rather, position, the point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages theoretical principles from critical human geography, media and communication studies, and development literature to present a research trajectory that unpacks the influence of digital platforms in representing and mediating distant suffering. Critiques of aid and development communication have long focused on concerns around the representation of the Global South as an 'Othered' space; powerful and deeply problematic geographical imaginaries become embedded within contemporary dominant discourses of aid and development. As significant sources of aid and development imaginaries, how civil society has mediated distant suffering has been subject to much critique. However, the rapid transition towards engagement with digital platforms necessitates an extension of critical considerations about representation and mediation. For example: what impact do digital platforms, their knowledge politics and representational capabilities have on imaginaries of distant suffering? Digital platforms (such as websites and other social media platforms) are situated within and constituted by (and through) a 'digital knowledge politics'. These platforms and their mediations still exist within broader social practices and processes, and therefore remain entrenched within the power relations between Global North and Global South. This poses significant questions regarding the role digital platforms (and their representational capabilities) play in producing and mediating representations of distant strangers and their places. Moreover, further gaps within existing research emerge regarding how digital platforms can inform how (and indeed if) the public respond to such discourses. Through identifying key interdisciplinary intersections between critical human geographies and media and communication studies, this paper considers research trajectories that extend critical examinations of the role that digital platforms play in producing and representing aid and development imaginaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space‐division multiplexing (SDM) is one of the key enabling technologies to increase the capacity of fiber communication systems. However, implementing SDM‐based systems using multimode fiber has been challenging with the need for compact, low‐cost, and scalable mode de/multiplexer (DE/MUX). Here a novel integrated mode MUX for few‐mode fibers (FMFs) is presented which can launch up to eight spatial and polarization channels. The new design is composed of a 2D multimode grating coupler (MMGC), highly compact spot size converters (SSCs), and adiabatic directional couplers (ADCs). Eight data lanes in FMFs can be selectively launched with integrated optical phase shifters. Experimental results reveal efficient chip‐to‐fiber coupling with peak efficiencies of −3.8, −5.5, −3.6, and −4.1 dB for LP01, LP11a, LP11b, and LP21b modes, respectively. Thanks to the use of an integrated subwavelength Mikaelian lens for mode‐independent field size conversion with loss ≤−0.25 dB, the total footprint of the MMGC and SSCs is only 35×35 µm2. The proposed design shows great potential for densely integrated photonic circuits in future SDM applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Causality is at the core of much contemporary discussion in social sciences, philosophy, and computer science—from the establishment of basic definitions of causality to developing methods for causal inference, this discussion is increasingly finding voice within geographical literature. However, geographers have long discussed (and differed) about the role "causality" plays in our work. We present a history of contemporary definitions of causality arising from philosophy and examine how these intellectual currents interact with past and present geographical thinking about causal relations. In particular, we focus on how new thinking about counterfactual causality can help re‐route inquiry around a well‐known impasse: law‐based causality in geography. In other words, while different perspectives around "laws" of geography exist, we argue that it is more productive to put aside these differences and find common ground in counterfactual causal thinking. To demonstrate, we outline new kinds of scholarship enabled by counterfactual causality and contemporary challenges that counterfactual causality faces in spatial analysis. Throughout, we refer interested readers to contemporary work on spatial causal inference and methods useful for scholars interested in analysing causal relationships in geographical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering the polarization and spatial phase of ultrafast laser pulses represents a compelling strategy for enhancing control over laser–matter interaction and enabling rapid and innovative nano‐fabrication processes. Here, the single‐shot, ultrafast laser fabrication of high‐aspect‐ratio, vertically standing nano‐pillars with a diameter of ≈800$\approx 800$ nm and height up to 15 µm on the surface of sapphire, is reported. To achieve this, the distinctive properties of diffraction‐free, first‐order Bessel beams endowed with either radial or azimuthal polarization distributions, are harnessed under tight focusing conditions. The highly intense laser–matter interaction in this configuration generates a tubular‐shaped, high‐pressure field beneath the material surface, leading to the rapid expulsion of material across the surface. Three distinct regimes for the pillar generation are identified in addition to a mechanism based on the Rayleigh‐Plateau theory that explains the distinct morphological regimes observed. The findings not only shed light on the underlying physical mechanisms of intense excitation of transparent dielectrics but also offer exciting prospects for the rapid fabrication of positive nano‐structures and material compression across various fields of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since climate change came to occupy a place on the research and policy landscape in the 1980s, geography and geographers have been at the forefront of understanding its dynamics and social, economic, ethical, and political consequences. In this collection, we explore how the geographical understanding of climate change has evolved over time. We reflect on what we consider to be the most significant contributions that geography has made to our understanding of climate change, how the discipline's approach to this issue has changed over time, the gaps and limits in our understanding, and what the future of climate‐changed geographies might be. The Themed Intervention, 'Changing Climate, Changing Geographies?', explores the encounter between Human Geography and climate change, including the implications for future research. This introduction spotlights key themes and questions examined in the collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews contemporary geography literature pertaining to the development and experience of underwater spaces. Examining the underwater world as a space of practices, experiences, and visions that are both phenomenologically and geopolitically rich, the review covers research studies from human geography and cognate fields concentrating on the tourism and travel literature. After a brief overview of the many activities taking place underwater worldwide—from the evolution of the mythical Atlantis to the development of modern‐day Atlantis such as underwater hotels—the paper focuses studies in three areas: the consumption of cultural and natural heritage, Self‐contained underwater breathing apparatus diving and divers' experiences, and the possibility of human inhabitation of underwater realms in habitats such as underwater hotels and submarine research sites. It is argued that by becoming more familiar with underwater spaces, geographers who concentrate on tourism and marine environments can gain new perspectives that are likely to challenge the terrestrial imagination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an editorial from the Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie (Journal of Economic & Social Geography) discussing the future ambitions of the journal in a changing world. The authors, Ilse van Liempt and Michiel van Meeteren, outline their goals as the new editors-in-chief and emphasize the importance of community building, diversity, and openness to change in the field of geography. They also discuss the challenges faced by society journals in an increasingly specialized and globalized academic publication landscape. The authors express their commitment to supporting authors, particularly early-career scholars, and promoting geographical research that is both impactful and policy-relevant. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses a book called "Placing Critical Geographies: Historical Geographies of Critical Geography," which explores the history and development of critical geography. The book emphasizes the influence of individual places and their historical, political, and cultural contexts on the formation of critical geographical knowledge. It also highlights the interconnectedness of critical geography across different nations and the circulation of ideas and influences. While the book provides valuable insights, some readers may find the lack of contextual information and the ordering of chapters to be shortcomings. Overall, the book offers a comprehensive and informative exploration of critical geography. [Extracted from the article]

Tiger conservation in India has been driven for the most part by a philosophy that prioritizes the need for inviolate tiger reserves free of human beings. Such reserves, it is argued, provide much needed territory to 'care' for the tiger. In this paper, we examine the biopolitics of tiger conservation in India and argue that the current approach to tiger conservation amplifies the nature‐culture divide and ignores other imaginations of tiger conservation that are more cognizant of human—non‐human entanglements in protected area landscapes. The paper argues that tiger conservation has been a mix of sovereign, disciplinary and neoliberal environmentalities, all built on a certain 'truth' about tigers. The paper raises questions and concerns about the 'truth' discourse that underlies tiger conservation and also argues that tiger conservation has marginalized the environmentalism of the poor. It makes the case for more debate and discussion about tiger truths and suggests the need for a more than human approach to tiger conservation that recognizes the adverse consequences of fortress conservation as well as its limits in caring for the tiger in more than human geographies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we argue using smart technologies beyond the grid disrupts the access and use of existing energy sources, with profound impacts on everyday social life. We show how off‐grid smart energy solutions constitute their own politics when considering existing conceptualisations of urban infrastructures in geography and the social sciences. To expose its politics, or "micropolitics", we consider how tensions occur at the interface between infrastructures, where there are additions and modifications. We draw on an empirical example of Qandu‐Qandu, an informal settlement in South Africa, to highlight how the placement, technical capabilities, and flexible financing options associated with off‐grid solar energy create micropolitics with profound implications for everyday life. To conclude, we reflect on the value of using disruptions for understanding and enhancing equity in off‐grid settings, contributing to the broader sustainability transitions narrative, and its "liveliness". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages with digital urban futures prospectively, departing from most existing geographical work that has tended to explore the future retrospectively. I do so by first discussing a methodology that is sensitive to the meanings and significations of the future as well as future‐making as an active process, or as 'practised'. I argue that such an orientation is necessary to challenge the established view of the future as an endpoint or as a priori in social and cultural geography and, correspondingly, invite a more processual and emergent understanding of the future as multiple, never complete and always becoming. Using the example of Singapore's Smart Nation initiative, I then show how this methodological approach can be employed to study the way urban dwellers encounter, engage and evaluate possible futures in their everyday spaces and lives. Focusing on futures prospectively is significant insofar as it directs attention to their relationality and open‐endedness, which, in turn, provides the latitude to consider and construct different forms of futures. Beyond the methodological contribution, this paper offers an epistemological intervention that not only unpicks how knowledge about the future is currently produced in the literature but also multiplies our ways of studying futurity and future‐making. This paper engages with digital urban futures prospectively, departing from most existing work that has tended to explore the future retrospectively. Using the example of the E‐Payments programme in Singapore, I show how a prospective methodological approach can be employed to study the way urban dwellers encounter, engage and evaluate possible futures in their everyday spaces and lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we draw on recent debates in ecology and human geography on the project of decolonising academic practice. Our objective is to address two key questions via a generative discussion across disciplines: what can ecologists learn from ongoing debates in human geography? And how might those learnings translate back into geographical praxis? We make the central argument that vibrant debates in human geography can push ecologists to take more radical steps towards a decolonial vision that, in turn, can guide geographers to a more material decolonising praxis. We build this argument by working through various dis/connections—between ecology/human geography, theory/praxis, South/North—in the wider project of decolonising academia to provoke critical reflection around the themes of (i) language and publishing; (ii) collaboration and 'inclusion'; and (iii) the geographies of ecological research. We discuss dis/connections—between ecology/human geography, theory/praxis, South/North—in the wider project of decolonising academia to provoke critical reflection around the themes of (i) language and publishing; (ii) collaboration and 'inclusion'; and (iii) the geographies of ecological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cities around the world, skateboarders repair surfaces and objects for the purposes of play using techniques to fill, smooth, and fabricate. Research in social and cultural geography focuses on the ways citizens repair and care for material objects using do‐it‐yourself (DIY) practices. Despite continuities, repair work by skateboarders does not strive to improve neglected, absent, or dysfunctional infrastructure for the common good, as in cases from literature on DIY urbanism, nor to subvert objects, texts, and surfaces to make political statements, as in cases from literature on tactical urbanism. Skateboarders do repair and care work to prepare surfaces for playful damage benefitting other skaters and onlookers enjoying the spectacle. By exploring these widespread but under‐researched acts of repair and care and the circuits of knowledge that reproduce them, this paper makes four arguments. First, skateboarders do repair and care work to generate 'spots' for skateboarding from assemblages of objects and surfaces intended for other purposes. Transforming spots brings otherwise mundane patches of the city to life through thousands of tiny acts of repair and care. Second, repair and care work by skateboarders is most effective when barely visible to people outside the culture. However, repaired surfaces make their way to large audiences, often millions of viewers, through skateboard photography and video, giving some of them an outsized life across time and space. Third, knowledge about techniques of repair and care are considered an important part of skate culture to be learned and shared. Protocols of care shape acceptable degrees of modification to surfaces and objects, and as skateboarding globalises so too do these protocols. Fourth, acts of repair and care have no guarantees of longevity. Hours of labour can be destroyed by direct acts to stop skateboarding and by indirect acts emanating from dynamics of urban change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This intervention focuses on recent disruptions and transformations in the (post)pandemic world economy that will likely 'trouble' economic geographers for some time to come. It aims to foster constructive dialogues and move conversations forward in the expanding field of economic geography whose presence and relevance in critical human geography is ironically at stake. I contend that economic geography in the early 2020s is characterised by a changing world and a changing generation of more diverse researchers who can be innovative enough to take on these troubling themes for future research. I suggest four such research directions that combine new themes of geopolitics and risks in remaking the global economy with older issues of work and environment that certainly merit renewed interest and greater analytical attention in the field. Taken together, these new horizons for economic geography research throughout the 2020s and beyond can be well capitalised upon to enhance the intellectual and public relevance of the field. This intervention focuses on recent disruptions and transformations in the (post)pandemic world economy and suggests four troubling themes for future research in economic geography: (geo)politics, economies, and space; remaking the global economy; worlds of work; and (un)sustainable global economic/environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tranquil places that induce a sense of calm and peacefulness are important for those seeking respite from their stressful everyday lives. Although tranquillity is a word commonly used in everyday English, we show that its definition is complex, most often encompassing sight and hearing, with strong cultural and historical influences. To shed light on the concept of tranquillity and related research in geography and other disciplines, we (i) trace how tranquillity has been conceptualised and characterised (ii) outline how the potential for tranquillity has been modelled in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and (iii) highlight methods capable of extracting individual experiences of tranquillity from interviews, public participation GIS and text analysis. We conclude by charting a research agenda for tranquillity that makes a case for theory development across disciplines including human geography, GIS, and environmental psychology, with interdisciplinary methodologies that should be implemented and developed to better reflect the importance of the combination of physical environment and lived human experience in shaping experienced tranquillity. Based on its importance for people's well‐being, we argue for the recognition of tranquillity as a cultural ecosystem service in its own right. Finally, we call for a more holistic inclusion of tranquillity in policy‐making and planning, where a focus on tranquillity and associated positive landscape and soundscape elements could help extend the focus beyond simply protection from noise, towards creating liveable and healthy environments for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On‐chip spatial and polarization multiplexing has emerged as a powerful strategy to boost the data transmission capacity of integrated optical transceivers. State‐of‐the‐art multiplexers require accurate control of the relative phase or the spatial distribution among different guided optical modes, seriously compromising the optical transmission bandwidth and performance of the devices. To overcome this limitation, a new approach based on the coupling between guided modes in integrated waveguides and optical beams free‐propagating on the chip plane is proposed. The engineering of the evanescent coupling between the guided modes and free‐propagating beams allows spatial and polarization multiplexing with state‐of‐the‐art performance. A two‐polarization multiplexed link and a three‐mode multiplexed link using standard 220‐nm‐thick silicon‐on‐insulator technology have been developed. The two‐polarization link shows a measured −35 dB crosstalk bandwidth of 180 nm, while the three‐mode link exhibits a −20 dB crosstalk bandwidth of 195 nm. These links are used to demonstrate error‐free operation (bit‐error‐rate <10−9) in multiplexing and demultiplexing of two and three non‐return‐to‐zero signals at 40 Gbps each, with power penalties below 0.08 and 1.5 dB for the two‐polarization and three‐mode links, respectively. The approach demonstrated for two polarizations and three modes is transferable to future implementation of more complex multiplexing schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By harnessing weak cross‐Kerr nonlinearities, it proposes two deterministic hyperparallel quantum control gates, including the hyperparallel controlled‐NOT (hyper‐CNOT) gate and hyperparallel Fredkin (hyper‐Fredkin) gate for photonic systems in the polarization and spatial degrees of freedom (DoFs), which are composed of two procedures for the implementations of the first polarized control (CNOT and Fredkin) gates and the second spatial control (CNOT and Fredkin) ones in turn. Moreover, compared with the two two‐photon CNOT gates (three‐photon Fredkin gates) in one DoF, the hyper‐CNOT (hyper‐Fredkin) gate is provided with more straightforward quantum circuits, lower computational costs of resource overhead (without the assistance of single photons or entangled states), less cross‐Kerr nonlinear interactions between three photons and the coherent states, and reduces the effect caused by photon‐loss noise. The success probabilities of two quantum control gates are approximated unit by performing the corresponding classical feed‐forward operations based on the different measuring outcomes of the X‐homodyne detectors to be aimed at the coherent states, and they are robust against the photon loss as well, which are feasible with the current technology and convenient in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra‐low frequency waves interact with different particle populations all over the magnetosphere. Some interaction mechanisms are associated with certain wave modes, but is it really so and what about waves interaction between each other? We present a statistical analysis of Pc4 and Pc5 waves in the magnetosphere of the Earth that were observed by Arase satellite from March 2017 to December 2020. These waves were classified by polarization into toroidal, poloidal, and compressional waves. Toroidal and poloidal waves are thought to be Alfvén waves that are eigenoscillations of Earth's magnetic field lines. The former are believed to be generated by external sources, while the latter one—by internal sources. We compared spatial distribution features with well‐known case studies to reveal their nature for all three polarizations. A high inclination of Arase orbit supported a wave field‐aligned structure research. We found that toroidal waves are mostly odd harmonics and poloidal waves are both even and odd harmonics of Alfvén waves, while compressional waves were observed in a narrow equatorial region only. Different wave generation mechanisms that cause a clear difference in spatial distributions of toroidal, poloidal, and compressional waves could excite a specific wave polarization. Surprisingly, the statistics of wave polarization has a normal distribution without separate clusters. We suggest that polarization change and mode coupling processes make mixed polarization the most common type of polarization in the magnetosphere. This result raises the question of how the polarization change process affects wave‐particle interactions responsible for energy transport throughout the magnetosphere. Plain Language Summary: Energy transport in the magnetosphere of the Earth is a complex process involving different populations of charged particles and electromagnetic waves. The waves classified as Pc4 and Pc5 have a wavelength comparable to the size of the magnetosphere and are responsible for energy transport on a large distance. We collected 46 months of Pc4 and Pc5 waves observations by Arase satellite to find a dependence of wave parameters on excitation source. We divided waves in the data set by magnetic field variation direction into radial, azimuthal, and field‐aligned waves. These three types of waves have different spatial distribution in both equatorial and meridional planes. We compared distribution features with specific energy sources using well‐known case studies. Surprisingly, wave polarization statistics did not reveal any separation of waves into clusters that could be associated with different sources or wave generation mechanisms. This fact forces us to pay more attention to wave polarization change processes and to a coupling of waves with different polarization to reveal a correct mechanism of energy exchange between the waves and charged particles in the magnetosphere. Key Points: Transverse waves are mostly mixed polarized, without separate clusters of pure poloidal and toroidal wavesToroidal waves are odd harmonics of field line resonance, while poloidal waves are both odd and even harmonics connected with the ion driftCompressional waves are concentrated at the geomagnetic equator, with two essential maxima of the occurrence rate in L‐MLT distribution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal geographies is going through methodological change, moving towards a variety of methodological approaches that enliven inquiry into nonhuman animals' lives. Despite this move, there is still a clear need to develop approaches to explore human–animal interaction that centre animals in geographical inquiry. This paper aims to build on lively debates in animal geographies to offer ethnomethodology as one such approach. Ethnomethodology, an approach rather than a method, has had only brief engagement with human geography, but this paper will argue that ethnomethodology has various characteristics that align with traditional geographical enquiry and that can help grapple with the many ontological and epistemological challenges animal geographers face. These characteristics: an attention to place‐based practices; a focus on agency and subjectivity; and an understanding of practices as a relational, offer points of interest for geography and ethnomethodology to converge. I expand on these facets and outline ethnomethodological engagement with animals before turning to my own example of human‐assistance‐dog training to illustrate how an ethnomethodological approach is useful to animal geographers. Overall, this paper suggests that ethnomethodology offers animal geographers: a focus on embodied senses; a concern with forms of agency and subjectivity within space and place; and a rich descriptive approach to practical detail. The paper concludes with a discussion towards geographical ethnomethodological futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing trend across the social sciences to engage with archives. Within human geography, this has stimulated a debate about the nature of archives, including moving from considering 'archive as source' to 'archive as subject.' We build on and extend this thinking, suggesting that an even more active appreciation of the dynamic nature of relationships between researchers, owners of records, and archival material is needed. This paper draws on an interdisciplinary study of voluntary action and welfare provision in England in the 1940s and 2010s to highlight how the different iterative processes involved in collaborative archival research are part of what we call co‐curation. Co‐curation involves the negotiated identification, selection, preparation, and interpretation of archival materials. This has implications for both research processes and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the problem of urban uniformity and loss of identity, in the past, locality research focused mainly on the physical environment and their symbolic values. This study takes the initiative by applying the zero theory from human geography to the planning and design fields. It has investigated promenades and parks along the Rhine in 20 towns or cities using spatial analysis and on‐site experiences. Four types of waterfront space have been identified from the case studies, and the pattern of their distribution along the Rhine suggests that this is influenced mainly by the varying characteristics of the river and the historical development of the towns. This result permits planning to refer to spatial layout based on a region's character. The research also reveals the dominance of representational thinking in our current design practice and its negative impact. The application of non‐representational approaches reveals the importance of sensory experiences and everyday spaces for better on‐site engagement, thus forming the basis for a set of design guidelines for achieving locality in river‐related open spaces. The paper demonstrates that the non‐representational theory could provide the opportunity to enliven the connection between people and places in locality research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the book "Nationalism" by David Kaplan and Kathryn Hannum, emphasizing the geographical perspective needed to understand nationalism beyond political and sociological lenses. The book explores the connection between nationalism and territory, the role of maps and cartography, and the visibility of nationalism in everyday aspects like money and sports. While the book provides rich examples, it lacks in-depth analytical explanations and a clear connection between the nation-state and cultural groups. Overall, the book serves as a valuable reference for educators and students interested in exploring nationalism from a geographical standpoint. [Extracted from the article]

The article is a book review of "Caring for life: A postdevelopment politics of infant hygiene" by Kelly Dombroski. The book explores how ordinary people contribute to social change in local spaces, focusing on the topic of infant hygiene practices in Asia-Pacific. Dombroski conducted ethnographic research in China, Australia, and New Zealand, examining the practice of baniao, which involves holding out babies to urinate instead of using diapers. She argues that this practice promotes social and environmental change by reducing waste from Western hygiene practices. The book also discusses the political nature of hygiene change and emphasizes the importance of feminist and decolonial approaches in research. Overall, "Caring for life" offers insights into the potential for positive economic and environmental futures through alternative infant hygiene practices. [Extracted from the article]

"Garden Inventories: Reflections on Land, Place, and Belonging" by Mariam Pirbhai is a book that explores the author's journey of becoming rooted in a new land as an immigrant to Canada. Pirbhai examines gardens, lawns, summer homes, nurseries, and conservation areas in southern Ontario to uncover the stories and meanings associated with these spaces. The book blends history, memoir, and horticulture to provide insights into cultural knowledge and the relationships between humans and the natural world. Pirbhai also integrates discussions on decolonization, postcoloniality, and Indigenization into her exploration of plants and their origins. Overall, the book offers a thoughtful reflection on the importance of understanding and respecting the land and its indigenous inhabitants. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: This study examined changes in geographic proximity to family members among race and income groups in the United States from 1981 to 2017. Background: Close geographic proximity to family members can facilitate mutual support and strengthen family bonds. Some scholars argue that institutional sources of support have replaced many core family functions, which might mean that households are likely to live increasingly farther away from family. Advancing technology and changing labor market opportunities might reinforce this pattern. Yet, the ongoing cultural and emotional salience of family might curtail the effects of these factors on the increasing distance to family. Method: We conducted a quantitative analysis of longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). We utilized the multigenerational structure of the PSID and restricted‐use geocodes to map kin proximity at every interview from 1981 to 2017. We cross‐classified our sample by race and income, focusing on Black and White respondents across income quartiles (n = 171,501 person‐periods). Results: High‐income White respondents showed the greatest increases in distance from kin over time, whereas proximity to kin among other race‐income groups was relatively stable. Conclusion: Proximate kin has become less central in the lives of high‐income White households over time, whereas close proximity to kin has been the norm over time for other racial and income groups. These results have implications for racial and income differences in kin relations over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]