Simulating bosons in magnetic field with photonics

We propose a 2D photonic system where the dynamics of photons are analogous to charged bosons in a magnetic field. We show that a magnetic field can be `simulated' for photons without using a magnetic field or any time-reversal symmetry breaking mechanism. We apply a technique to probe transport properties of such systems. In particular, the underlying energy spectrum is manifested in the transmission and reflection coefficients in form of a Hofstadter butterfly. We also discuss the effect of loss in such systems and investigate the system's robustness to impurities.