### Abstract: Advances in Zero-Level Plateau Research in Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect The Quantum Anomalous Hall (QAH) Effect in magnetic topological insulators has emerged as a critical frontier in condensed matter physics, offering profound insights into topological quantum states and their potential applications in future information technology. Key questions in this field include the transitions between magnetic order states and the mechanisms governing phase transitions between quantum plateaus. Recently, a team of researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics at Tsinghua University, including doctoral students Yang Feng, Xiao Feng, and Yunbo Ou, under the guidance of their mentors Ya-Yu Wang, Ke He, and Qikun Xue, collaborated with Jing Wang and Shou-Cheng Zhang from Stanford University. They made significant progress in understanding the phase transition behavior between quantum plateaus in magnetic topological insulators. Utilizing molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) techniques, the team successfully grew high-quality topological insulator thin films with long-range ferromagnetic order. These films were then subjected to systematic studies of phase transitions between quantum plateaus at ultra-low temperatures. Their findings revealed a clear zero-level plateau in Hall conductance at the coercive field, where the magnetization direction of the magnetic topological insulator reverses, and two quantum anomalous Hall plateaus undergo a phase transition. This zero-level plateau exhibits unique properties that are closely tied to the QAH effect but deviate from the traditional quantum Hall plateau transitions described by the network model. The researchers attributed this behavior to the chiral one-dimensional conducting channels that exist exclusively at the boundaries of magnetic domains, a characteristic feature of the QAH effect. Consequently, the zero-level plateau does not conform to the universal quantum critical behavior observed in traditional quantum Hall effect transitions. The study, titled "Observation of the zero Hall plateau in a quantum anomalous Hall insulator," was published in the journal *Physical Review Letters* on September 16. It was also selected as an Editors' Suggestion, highlighting its significance in the field. The results suggest that the QAH effect is not merely a zero-magnetic-field version of the quantum Hall effect. Instead, the unique magnetic domain structures and their dynamics in magnetic topological insulators can lead to novel quantum transport phenomena, which may have unique applications in spintronic devices. This research not only deepens the understanding of the QAH effect but also opens new avenues for exploring the rich physics of magnetic topological insulators and their potential technological implications. The discovery of the zero-level plateau and its distinct temperature evolution behavior underscores the complexity and diversity of topological quantum states, providing a foundation for further investigations into the fundamental properties of these materials and their practical applications in advanced electronic and spintronic technologies.