GAO ZHEN

Research

Associate Professor Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Research Group

Zhen GAO is an Associate Professor of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). He received PhD in 2018 from School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, following his B.S. degree in 2009 and M. S. degree in 2012 from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, all majored in Electrical Engineering. His current research interests include electromagnetic wave theory and applications, photonic crystals, spoof plasmonics, metamaterials, topological photonics, and terahertz technology. As the first author or corresponding author, he has published more than 30 papers on Nature, Nature Communications, Physical Review Letter and Advanced Materials. He received National Distinguished Youth Expert in 2020, the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Student Award in 2016, Ten Major Advances in Chinese Optics in 2019 and National-level Talent in Shenzhen.

Personal Profile

Research

1. Topological Photonics

2. Topologial Acoustics

3. Topological Circuits

4. Terahertz Photonics

5. Metamaterials

6. Photonic Crystals

7. Photonic Time Crystal

Teaching

Autumn semester course 'Fundamentals of Circuit' for bachelor degree, and spring semester course 'Computational Electromagnetics' for Master degree.

Publications Read More

Selected Publications

1. Y. Yang, Z. Gao^*(^*通讯作者), H. Xue, L. Zhang, M. He, Z. Yang, R. Singh, Y. Chong, B. Zhang^* and H. Chen^*, Realization of a three-dimensional photonic topological insulator, Nature 565, 622–626 (2019).

2. G. G. Liu^#, Z. Gao^#(^#同等贡献作者), Q. Wang, X. Xi, Y. H. Hu, M. R. Wang, C. Q. Liu, X. Lin, L. J. Deng, S. A. Yang, P. H. Zhou*, Y. Yang*, Y. D. Chong*, B. Zhang*, Topological Chern vectors in three-dimensional photonic crystals, Nature 609, 925-930 (2022).

3. X. Xi, B. Yan, L. Yang, Y. Meng, Z. Zhu, J. Chen, Z. Wang, P. Zhou, P. Shum, Y. Yang, H. Chen, S. Mandal, G. Liu^*, B. Zhang^*, Z. Gao^*(^*通讯作者), Topological antichiral surface states in a magnetic Weyl photonic crystal, Nature Communications 14, 1991 (2023).

4. B. Yan, B. Liao, F. Shi, X. Xi, Y. Cao, K. Xiang, Y. Meng, L. Yang, Z. Zhu, J. Chen, X. Chen, G. Liu, B. Zhang, and Z. Gao*(通讯作者), Realization of topology-controlled photonic cavities in a valley photonic crystal, Physical Review Letters 134, 033803 (2025).

5. L. Y. Yang^#, Y. Wang^#, Y. Meng, Z. X. Zhu, X. Xi, B. Yan, S. X. Lin, J. M. Chen, B. J. Shi, Y. Ge, S. Q. Yuan, H. S. Chen, H. X. Sun^*, G. G. Liu^*, Yihao Yang*, and Z. Gao^*(^*通讯作者), Observation of Dirac hierarchy in three-dimensional acoustic topological insulators, Physical Review Letters 129, 125502 (2022). (Editors’ Suggestion)

6. Y. Meng, S. Lin, B. Shi, B. Wei, L. Yang, B. Yan, Z. Zhu, X. Xi, Y. Wang, Y. Ge, S. Yuan, J. Chen, G. Liu, H. Sun^*, H. Chen, Y. Yang^*, and Z. Gao^*(^*通讯作者), Spinful topological phases in acoustic crystals with projective PT symmetry, Physical Review Letters 130, 026101 (2023).

7. Y. Yang, Z. Gao^*(^*通讯作者), X. Feng, Y. Huang, P. Zhou, S. A. Yang^*, Y. Chong^*, and B. Zhang^*, Ideal unconventional Weyl point in a chiral photonic metamaterial, Physical Review Letters 125, 143001 (2020). (Editors’ Suggestion)

8. Z. Li, S. Li, B. Yan, H. Chan, J. Li, J. Guan, W. Bi, Y. Xiang, Z. Gao*(通讯作者), S. Zhang, P. Zhan, Z. Wang, and B. Xie, Symmetry-related large-area corner mode with a tunable mode area and stable frequency, Physical Review Letters 134, 116607 (2025).

9. Z. Wang, Y. Meng, B. Yan, D. Zhao, L. Yang, J. Chen, M. Cheng, T. Xiao, P. Shum, G. Liu, Y. Yang, H. Chen, X. Xi, Z. Zhu, B. Xie, Z. Gao*(通讯作者), Realization of a three-dimensional photonic higher-order topological insulator, Nature Communications 16, 3122 (2025) .

10. Z. Dong, Z. Wang, L. Yang, Y. Zhong, X. Xi, Z. Zhu, X. Jiao, Q. Tu, Y. Meng, B. Yan, C. Shang, Z. Gao*(通讯作者), Observation of cavity-tunable topological phases of polaritons, Nature Communications 16, 5914 (2025).

11. B. Yan, Y. F. Qi, Z. Y. Wang, Y. Meng, L. Y. Yang, Z. X. Zhu, J. M. Chen, Y. X. Zhong, M. Q. Cheng, X. Xi, Z. Gao*(通讯作者), Topological Dirac-vortex modes in a three-dimensional photonic topological insulator, Nature Communications 16, 5659 (2025).

12. S. Mandal, Z. Wang, R. Banerjee, H. T. Teo,P. Zhou,X. Xi, Z. Gao*(通讯作者), G. Liu, and B. Zhang, Photonic bilayer Chern insulator with corner states, Physical Review Letters 135, 016903 (2025).

13. F. Gao^#, Z. Gao^#(^#同等贡献作者), X. Shi, Z. Yang, X. Lin, H. Xu, J. D. Joannopoulos, M. Soljacic, H. Chen, L. Lu, Y. Chong, and B. Zhang, Probing topological protection using a designer surface plasmon structure, Nature Communications 7, 11619 (2016).

14. Z. Gao, F. Gao, Y. Zhang, H. Xu, Y. Luo, and B. Zhang, Forward/Backward switching of plasmonic wave propagation using sign-reversal coupling, Advanced Materials 29, 1700018 (2017).

15. Z. Gao, L. Wu, F. Gao, Y. Luo, and B. Zhang, Spoof plasmonics: from metamaterial concept to topological description, Advanced Materials 30, 1706683 (2018). (Invited Review).