Luminosity Functions of Elliptical Galaxies at z < 1.2

Abstract

The luminosity functions of E/S0 galaxies are constructed in 3 different redshift bins (0.2 < z < 0.55, 0.55 < z < 0.8, 0.8 < z < 1.2), using the data from the Hubble Space Telescope Medium Deep Survey (HST MDS) and other HST surveys. These independent luminosity functions show the brightening in the luminosity of E/S0s by about 0.5~1.0 magnitude at z~1, and no sign of significant number evolution. This is the first direct measurement of the luminosity evolution of E/S0 galaxies, and our results support the hypothesis of a high redshift of formation (z > 1) for elliptical galaxies, together with weak evolution of the major merger rate at z < 1.Comment: To be published in ApJ Letters, 4 pages, AAS Latex, 4 figures, and 2 table