Related papers: Dry minor mergers and size evolution of high-z com…
The characteristic size of early-type galaxies (ETGs) of given stellar mass is observed to increase significantly with cosmic time, from redshift z>2 to the present. A popular explanation for this size evolution is that ETGs grow through…
Several studies have suggested that the observed size evolution of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) can be explained as a combination of dry mergers and progenitor bias, at least since z\sim1. In this paper we carry out a new test of the…
Dry (i.e. dissipationless) merging has been proposed as the main driver of the observed size evolution of early-type galaxies (ETGs). The actual role of this mechanism is questioned by the tightness of the local stellar mass-size relation…
We present the analysis of a large sample of early-type galaxies (ETGs) at 0<z<3 aimed at tracing the cosmic evolution of their size and compare it with a model of pure dissipationless (dry) merging in the LambdaCDM framework. The effective…
Early-type galaxies (ETGs) are observed to be more compact at z>2 than in the local Universe. Remarkably, much of this size evolution appears to take place in a short (1.8 Gyr) time span between z=2.2 and z=1.3, which poses a serious…
In this paper we measure the merger fraction and rate, both minor and major, of massive early-type galaxies (M_star >= 10^11 M_Sun) in the COSMOS field, and study their role in mass and size evolution. We use the 30-band photometric…
We perform dry merger simulations to investigate the role of dry mergers in the size growth of early-type galaxies in high density environments. We replace the virialized dark matter haloes obtained by a large cosmological $N$-body…
ABRIDGED: We study the evolution since z~1 of the rest-frame B luminosity function of the early-type galaxies (ETGs) in ~0.7 deg^2 in the COSMOS field. In order to identify ALL progenitors of local ETGs we construct the sample of high-z…
We present the results of a series of empirical computations regarding the role of major mergers in forming the stellar masses of modern galaxies based on measurements of galaxy merger and star formation histories from z~0.5-3. We…
Massive galaxies with a half-mass radius <~ 1kpc are observed in the early universe (z~>2), but not in the local universe. In the local universe similar-mass (within a factor of two) galaxies tend to be a factor of 4 to 5 larger. Dry minor…
Hierarchical models predict that present-day massive early-type galaxies (mETGs) have finished their assembly at a quite late cosmic epoch (z~0.5), conflicting directly with galaxy mass-downsizing. In Eliche-Moral et al. (2010), we…
We investigate the role that dry mergers play in the build-up of massive galaxies within the cold dark matter paradigm. Implementing an empirical shut-off mass scale for star formation, we find a nearly constant dry merger rate of $ \sim 6…
Hierarchical models predict that massive early-type galaxies (mETGs) derive from the most massive and violent merging sequences occurred in the Universe. However, the role of wet, mixed, and dry major mergers in the assembly of mETGs is…
Dissipationless (gas-free or "dry") mergers have been suggested to play a major role in the formation and evolution of early-type galaxies, particularly in growing their mass and size without altering their stellar populations. We perform a…
[ABRIDGED] We aim to provide a holistic view on the typical size and kinematic evolution of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs), that encompasses their high-$z$ star-forming progenitors, their high-$z$ quiescent counterparts, and their…
[abridged] Massive, passively evolving galaxies at redshifts z>1 exhibit on the average physical sizes smaller by factors ~3 than local early type galaxies (ETGs) endowed with the same stellar mass. Small sizes are in fact expected on…
The most massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) are known to form through numerous galaxy mergers. Thus, it is intriguing to study whether their formation in low-density environments, where nearby companions are almost absent, is associated…
Recent work has suggested that the amplitude of the size mass relation of massive early type galaxies evolves with redshift. Here we use a semi-analytical galaxy formation model to study the size evolution of massive early type galaxies. We…
[Abridged]We present a study based on a sample of 62 early-type galaxies (ETGs) at 0.9<z_spec<2 aimed at constraining their past star formation and mass assembly histories. The sample is composed of normal ETGs having effective radii…
Several studies have tried to ascertain whether or not the increase in abundance of the early-type galaxies (E-S0a's) with time is mainly due to major mergers, reaching opposite conclusions. We have tested it directly through…