Artificial gauge fields in materials and engineered systems

Abstract

Artificial gauge fields are currently realized in a wide range of physical settings. This includes solid-state devices but also engineered systems, such as photonic crystals, ultracold gases and mechanical setups. It is the aim of this review to offer, for the first time, a unified view on these various forms of artificial electromagnetic fields and spin-orbit couplings for matter and light. This topical review provides a general introduction to the universal concept of engineered gauge fields, in a form which is accessible to young researchers entering the field. Moreover, this work aims to connect different communities, by revealing explicit links between the diverse forms and realizations of artificial gauge fields.