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Universe
Special Issues
10th Anniversary of Universe: Galaxies and Their Black Holes
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10th Anniversary of Universe: Galaxies and Their Black Holes

A special issue of Universe (ISSN 2218-1997).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2828

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Paola Marziani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Astronomical Observatory of Padua, 35122 Padua, Italy
Interests: quasars and active galactic nuclei (AGN); photoionization and dynamical modelling of gaseous regions producing emission lines in a variety of contexts (from emission-line stars to the most powerful quasars); small- and large-scale structures in the universe and observational cosmology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Mauro D’Onofrio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, IT-35122 Padova, Italy
Interests: galaxies; structure and evolution; kinematics and dynamics; clusters; active galactic nuclei; novae and supernovae
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The interplay between galaxies and their central black holes is one of the most fundamental and dynamic areas of astrophysical research. The supermassive black holes residing at the centres of most galaxies play a crucial role in shaping their hosts through processes like feedback and accretion. Similarly, galaxies provide the fuel and environment that govern the growth and activity of these central black holes through mergers or secular processes. This reciprocal relationship is fundamental to understanding cosmic structure formation and evolution across epochs.

This Special Issue aims to consolidate recent advances in the study of galaxies and their black holes, including theoretical, observational, and computational approaches. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the co-evolution of central black holes and galaxies, feedback processes from active galactic nuclei (AGN), the physics of black hole accretion, the role of black holes in galaxy mergers, and new observational insights into the high-redshift universe, as well as stellar- and intermediate-mass black holes that are believed to populate every galaxy. 

By bringing together diverse perspectives, this Special Issue seeks to foster a deeper understanding of how black holes influence galaxy evolution and vice versa, with a focus on the next generation of multimessenger observational facilities and theoretical tools. We invite contributions that communicate or review progress, challenges, and future directions in this field. 

Dr. Paola Marziani
Prof. Dr. Mauro D’Onofrio
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. Universe is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. 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.

Keywords

  • supermassive black holes
  • accretion
  • galactic evolution
  • feedback
  • multimessenger astronomy
  • high-redshift universe
  • stellar- and intermediate-mass black holes

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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14 pages, 5542 KB  
Article
High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of IRS 16CC and IRS 33N: Stellar Parameters and Implications for Star Formation Near Sgr A*
by Shogo Nishiyama, Wakana Sato, Moeka Hotta, Momoka Ikarashi, Hiromi Saida, Yohsuke Takamori, Tetsuya Nagata, Hiroyuki Ikeda and Masaaki Takahashi
Universe 2025, 11(10), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe11100332 - 5 Oct 2025
Viewed by 146
Abstract
IRS 16CC and IRS 33N are among more than 100 young, massive stars identified within 0.5 pc from the Galactic central supermassive black hole Sgr A*, where conventional star formation processes are expected to be strongly suppressed. A subset of these stars, including [...] Read more.
IRS 16CC and IRS 33N are among more than 100 young, massive stars identified within 0.5 pc from the Galactic central supermassive black hole Sgr A*, where conventional star formation processes are expected to be strongly suppressed. A subset of these stars, including IRS 16CC, has been confirmed to reside in a clockwise rotating stellar disk, and is thought to have formed in a massive, gaseous disk around Sgr A*. In contrast, other young massive stars, such as IRS 33N, exhibit dynamical behaviors that deviate significantly from those of the disk population, and their formation mechanism is still uncertain. To investigate their formation mechanism, we carried out near-infrared, high-resolution spectroscopic observations of IRS 16CC and IRS 33N using the Infrared Camera and Spectrograph on the Subaru telescope, equipped with an adaptive optics system. We compared the profiles of He I absorption lines with synthetic spectra generated from model atmospheres, and then compared derived stellar parameters with stellar evolutionary tracks to estimate their ages and initial masses. Our analysis yields their effective temperatures of ∼23,000 K, surface gravities of ∼2.8, and initial masses of 37±6M⊙ and 27−3+4M⊙, consistent with spectral types of B0.5–1.5 supergiants. The ages of IRS 16CC and IRS 33N are estimated to be 4.4±0.7 Myr and 5.3−0.7+1.1 Myr, respectively. These results suggest that, despite their different dynamical properties, the two stars are likely to share a common origin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Universe: Galaxies and Their Black Holes)
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15 pages, 914 KB  
Article
Spectral and Photometric Studies of NGC 7469 in the Optical Range
by Saule Shomshekova, Inna Reva, Ludmila Kondratyeva, Nazim Huseynov, Vitaliy Kim and Laura Aktay
Universe 2025, 11(7), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe11070227 - 10 Jul 2025
Viewed by 438
Abstract
The galaxy NGC 7469 is a bright infrared source with an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and an intense star-forming region with a radius of approximately 500 parsecs, where the star formation rate is estimated to be 20–50 M⊙yr−1. [...] Read more.
The galaxy NGC 7469 is a bright infrared source with an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and an intense star-forming region with a radius of approximately 500 parsecs, where the star formation rate is estimated to be 20–50 M⊙yr−1. This study presents the results of spectral and photometric observations carried out during the period from 2020 to 2024 at the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute (Almaty, Kazakhstan) and the Nasreddin Tusi Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory (Shamakhy, Azerbaijan). Photometric data were obtained using B, V, and Rc filters, while spectroscopic observations covered the wavelength range of λ 4000–7000 Å. Data reduction was performed using the IRAF and MaxIm DL Pro6 software packages. An analysis of the light curves revealed that after the 2019–2020 outburst, the luminosity level of NGC 7469 remained relatively stable until the end of 2024. In November–December 2024, an increase in brightness (∼0.3–0.5 magnitudes) was recorded. Spectral data show variations in the Ha fluxes and an enhancement of them at the end of 2024. On BPT diagrams, the emission line flux ratios [OIII]/H β and [NII]/H α place NGC 7469 on the boundary between regions dominated by different ionization sources: AGN and star-forming regions. The electron density of the gas, estimated from the intensity ratios of the [SII] 6717, 6731 Ålines, is about 900–1000cm−3. Continued observations will help to determine whether the trend of increasing brightness and emission line fluxes recorded at the end of 2024 will persist. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Universe: Galaxies and Their Black Holes)
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18 pages, 2382 KB  
Article
Bethe–Heitler Cascades and Hard Gamma-Ray Spectra in Flaring TeV Blazars: 1ES 0414009 and 1ES 1959650
by Samuel Victor Bernardo da Silva, Luiz Augusto Stuani Pereira and Rita de Cássia Dos Anjos
Universe 2025, 11(6), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe11060177 - 31 May 2025
Viewed by 1648
Abstract
In this work, we present updated models of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for two high-frequency-peaked BL Lac objects (HBLs), that is, 1ES 0414+009 and 1ES 1959+650. The hard gamma-ray spectra observed during their flaring states suggest the presence of an additional emission [...] Read more.
In this work, we present updated models of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for two high-frequency-peaked BL Lac objects (HBLs), that is, 1ES 0414+009 and 1ES 1959+650. The hard gamma-ray spectra observed during their flaring states suggest the presence of an additional emission component beyond the standard synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) scenario. We explore the possibility that this hard gamma-ray emission arises from inverse Compton (IC) scattering by Bethe–Heitler pairs produced along the line of sight, pointing to a more complex high-energy emission mechanism in these sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Universe: Galaxies and Their Black Holes)
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