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M. Im (SIRTF Science Center/Caltech)
We present our results on the study of ~1000 field early-type galaxies (ellipticals and S0s) out to z=1.2. These galaxies are drawn from 300 HST WFPC2 fields covering ~0.5 square degree field of view, and currently represent the largest sample of morphologically selected early-type galaxies at large lookback time (~8 Gyr).
Here, we provide a strong constraint on their number density and the major merger epoch for the formation of early-type galaxies, based on our analysis of the luminosity and structural functions -- early-type galaxies at z=1 seem almost as abundant as today, and if they were created via merging of galaxies, such activity must have occurred predominantly at z > 1. Based on these results, we also place a useful limit on cosmological parameters, which complements previous measurements.
This study is supported by the STScI grant, AR08767.04.
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