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Title:
The Fundamental Plane of Cluster Elliptical Galaxies at z=1.25
Authors:
Holden, B. P.; van der Wel, A.; Franx, M.; Illingworth, G. D.; Blakeslee, J. P.; van Dokkum, P.; Ford, H.; Magee, D.; Postman, M.; Rix, H.-W.; Rosati, P.
Affiliation:
AA(UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95065; , , .), AB(Leiden Observatory, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9513, Leiden 2300 RA, Netherlands; , .), AC(Leiden Observatory, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9513, Leiden 2300 RA, Netherlands; , .), AD(UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95065; , , .), AE(Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218; , , .), AF(Department of Astronomy, Yale University, P.O. Box 208101, New Haven, CT 06520-8101 .), AG(Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218; , , .), AH(UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95065; , , .), AI(Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218; , , .), AJ(Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, Heidelberg D-69117, Germany; .), AK(European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, Garching D-85748, Germany; .)
Publication:
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 620, Issue 2, pp. L83-L86. (ApJ Homepage)
Publication Date:
02/2005
Origin:
UCP
ApJ Keywords:
Galaxies: Clusters: General, Galaxies: Clusters: Individual: Alphanumeric: RDCS 1252.9-2927, Galaxies: Elliptical and Lenticular, cD, Galaxies: Evolution, Galaxies: Fundamental Parameters, Galaxies: Photometry
DOI:
10.1086/428663
Bibliographic Code:
2005ApJ...620L..83H

Abstract

Using deep Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging and Very Large Telescope FOcal Reducer/low dispersion Spectrograph 2 spectra, we determined the velocity dispersions, effective radii, and surface brightnesses for four early-type galaxies in the z=1.237 cluster RDCS 1252.9-2927. All four galaxies are massive, greater than 1011 Msolar. These four galaxies, combined with three from RDCS 0848+4453 at z=1.276, establish the fundamental plane of massive early-type cluster galaxies at z=1.25. The offset of the fundamental plane shows that the luminosity evolution in rest-frame B is Δln(M/LB)=(-0.98+/-0.06)z for galaxies with M>1011.5 Msolar. To reproduce the observed mass-to-light ratio (M/L) evolution, we determine the characteristic age of the stars in these M>1011.5 Msolar galaxies to be 3.0+0.3-0.3 Gyr; i.e., z*=3.4+0.5-0.4. Including selection effects caused by morphological bias (the ``progenitor bias''), we estimate an age of 2.1+0.2-0.2 Gyr, or z*=2.3+0.2-0.2 for the elliptical galaxy population. Massive cluster early-type galaxies appear to have a large fraction of stars that formed early in the history of the universe. However, there is a large scatter in the derived M/L values, which is confirmed by the spread in the galaxies' colors. Two lower mass galaxies in our z=1.25 sample have much lower M/L values, implying significant star formation close to the epoch of observation. Thus, even in the centers of massive clusters, there appears to have been significant star formation in some massive, M~=1011 Msolar, galaxies at z~=1.5.

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.

Also based on observations obtained at the European Southern Observatory using the ESO Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal (ESO programme 169.A-0458).

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