Related papers: The structural and dynamical properties of compact…
Investigating the assembly history of the most massive and passive galaxies will enhance our understanding of why galaxies exhibit such a remarkable diversity in structure and morphology. In this paper, we simultaneously investigate the…
We have explored the buildup of the local mass-size relation of elliptical galaxies using two visually classified samples. At low redshift we compiled a subsample of 2,656 elliptical galaxies from SDSS, whereas at higher redshift (up to…
In this paper we study a key phase in the formation of massive galaxies: the transition of star forming galaxies into massive (M_stars~10^11 Msun), compact (r_e~1 kpc) quiescent galaxies, which takes place from z~3 to z~1.5. We use HST…
We present a study on structures and physical properties of massive ($M_* >10^{10} M_{\sun} $) compact galaxies at $1.0<z<2.0$ in five 3D--{\it HST}/CANDELS fields. Compared with the extended star-forming galaxies (eSFGs), compact…
The history of galaxy formation via star formation and stellar mass assembly rates is now known with some certainty, yet the connection between high redshift and low redshift galaxy populations is not yet clear. By identifying and studying…
The properties of massive and compact early-type galaxies provide important constraints on early galaxy formation. Among these, massive relic galaxies, characterized by old stellar populations and minimal late-time accretion, are considered…
We present a detailed analysis of a large sample of spectroscopically confirmed ultra-massive quiescent galaxies (${\rm{log}}(M_{\ast}/M_{\odot})\sim11.5$) at $z\gtrsim2$. This sample comprises 15 galaxies selected in the COSMOS and UDS…
Context: The radial variations of the stellar populations properties within passive galaxies at high redshift contain information about their assembly mechanisms, based on which galaxy formation and evolution scenarios may be distinguished.…
Observations have evidenced that passively evolving massive galaxies at high redshift are much more compact than local galaxies with the same stellar mass. We argue that the observed strong evolution in size is directly related to the…
The population of compact massive galaxies observed at z > 1 are hypothesised, both observationally and in simulations, to be merger remnants of gas-rich disc galaxies. To probe such a scenario we analyse a sample of 12 gas-rich and active…
Recent progress is summarized on the determination of the density distributions of stars and dark matter, stellar kinematics, and stellar population properties, in the extended, low surface brightness halo regions of elliptical galaxies.…
Recent studies have shown that massive galaxies in the distant universe are surprisingly compact, with typical sizes about a factor of three smaller than equally massive galaxies in the nearby universe. It has been suggested that these…
A review of the present observational and theoretical status of elliptical galaxies is presented with the aim to clarify whether the monolithic or the hierarchical, is a more viable scenario for the origin of these structures. We describe…
From a search of a portion of the sky covered by the SDSS and UKIDSS databases, we have located 2 galaxies at z~0.5 that have properties similar to those of the luminous passive compact galaxies found at z~2.5. From Keck moderate-resolution…
[Abridged] We studied the size-surface brightness and the size-mass relations of a sample of 16 cluster elliptical galaxies in the mass range 10^{10}-2x10^{11} M_sun which were morphologically selected in the cluster RDCS J0848+4453 at…
We explore the evolution of the stellar mass-size relation of galaxies of different morphological types and specifically bulge and disk components. We use a sample of $\sim35,000$ galaxies within a redshift range $0 < z < 1$, and stellar…
We perform a comprehensive study of the stellar population properties of quiescent galaxies as a function of size and stellar mass to constrain the physical mechanism governing the stellar mass assembly and the likely evolutive scenarios…
The structural properties of elliptical galaxies are consistent with their formation in a merging hierarchy. In this picture, the role of gaseous processes and dissipation decreased with increasing mass creating preferentially rotationally…
We study the structural evolution of massive galaxies by linking progenitors and descendants at a constant cumulative number density of n_c=1.4x10^{-4} Mpc^{-3} to z~3. Structural parameters were measured by fitting Sersic profiles to high…
We present constraints on the formation and evolution of early-type galaxies (ETGs) with the empirical model EMERGE. The parameters of this model are adjusted so that it reproduces the evolution of stellar mass functions, specific star…