Symmetries in Galaxies: Structure, Motion, and Evolution of Galaxies

Dear Colleagues, 

Understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies remains a fundamental pursuit in modern astrophysics. Galaxies are shaped by a complex interplay of processes—including star formation, stellar and AGN feedback, chemical enrichment, gas accretion, mergers, and interactions with their environments—while also affecting those surroundings through energy and momentum input. These processes must be reconciled with cosmological models and interpreted within the framework of multi-wavelength observations across cosmic time. 

This Special Issue is devoted to both new observational constraints and emerging theoretical interpretations that advance our understanding of how galaxies form and evolve. In the context of Symmetry, this Special Issue highlights how symmetry and its breaking play a central role in shaping galaxies. From the large-scale structure of the Universe to the internal morphologies of galaxies, symmetry governs the initial conditions of formation, while departures from symmetry (e.g., through interactions, mergers, or instabilities) drive evolutionary change. Exploring when and how these symmetries emerge, persist, or are broken provides critical insight into the underlying physics that governs galactic systems. We invite contributions that explore galaxy evolution from multiple angles, including, but not limited to, resolved stellar populations, star formation histories, gas dynamics, chemical enrichment, galaxy morphology and kinematics, numerical simulations, environmental effects, and insights from large-scale and multi-wavelength surveys.

Dr. Zhuo Chen
Dr. Sandor Frey
Prof. Dr. Grant Mathews
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.