Abstract
We investigate the evolution in the distribution of surface brightness, as a function of size, for elliptical and S0 galaxies in the two clusters RDCS J1252.9-2927 (z=1.237) and RX J0152.7-1357 (z=0.837). We use multicolor imaging with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope to determine these sizes and surface brightnesses. Using three different estimates of the surface brightnesses, we find that we reliably estimate the surface brightness for the galaxies in our sample with a scatter of B=-18.8 at z=0, and select only those galaxies within the color-magnitude sequence of the cluster or by using our spectroscopic redshifts. We measure evolution in the rest-frame B surface brightness and find -1.41+/-0.14 mag from the Coma Cluster of galaxies for RDCS J1252.9-2927 and -0.90+/-0.12 mag of evolution for RX J0152.7-1357, or an average evolution of (-1.13+/-0.15)z mag. Our statistical errors are dominated by the observed scatter in the size-surface brightness relation, σ=0.42+/-0.05 mag for RX J0152.7-1357 and σ=0.76+/-0.10 mag for RDCS J1252.9-2927. We find no statistically significant evolution in this scatter, although an increase in the scatter could be expected. Overall, the pace of luminosity evolution we measure agrees with that of the fundamental plane of early-type galaxies, implying that the majority of massive early-type galaxies observed at z~=1 formed at high redshifts. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. Based on observations obtained at the European Southern Observatory using the ESO Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal (ESO Large Programme 166.A-0701).
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 809-822 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
Volume | 626 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2005 |