We have assembled large samples of galaxies at redshift z ~ 4, 5 and 6 (totalling >4300 objects, >1000 objects, >500 objects, respectively) from all the deep HST ACS and NICMOS data taken to date (over 2000 orbits of data). From these we have derived rest-frame UV luminosity functions, luminosity densities, and star formation rates in a very robust and consistent way to very faint luminosities (0.01L* to 0.04L*). The faint-end slopes α of these luminosity functions are remarkably uniform and steep (α ~ −1.7), indicating very little evolution from z ~ 6 to z ~ 4. The characteristic luminosity L* brightens considerably (by ~1 mag) over this period, but the overall change in the luminosity function is such as to lead to little change in the luminosity density and star formation rate over this time. We also have detected galaxies at z ~ 7 − 8 and set strong limits at z ~ 10 directly from deep HST NICMOS observations. Spitzer observations of these z ~ 7 galaxies have been used to estimate masses and ages, suggesting substantial formation at z ~ 10 or earlier. These results show that this hierachical build-up continues into the reionization epoch.

Clumpy galaxies are prominent in the early Universe. We present morphological and photometric properties of a wide range of galaxy types and their star-forming clumps in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Sizes, scale lengths, and scale heights suggest that galaxies grow by a factor of 2 from z = 4 to the present, and that thick disks are present in the early Universe. The largest clumps of star formation are 107–109M⊙ in different galaxies, much more massive than large star-forming complexes in local galaxies. Dissolved clumps may account for both the exponential disks and the early thick disks of spirals and proto-spiral galaxies.

In this review we discuss the evidence for galaxy interactions and mergers in the distant universe and the role of mergers in forming galaxies. Observations show that the fraction of massive (M>M*) galaxies involved in major mergers is roughly 5–10% at z ~ 1. The merger fraction however increases steeply for the most massive galaxies up to z ~ 3, where the merger fraction is 50± 20%. Using N-body models of the galaxy merger process at a variety of merger conditions, merger mass ratios, and viewing angles this merger fraction can be converted into a merger rate, and mass accretion rate due to mergers. A simple integration of the merger rate shows that a typical massive galaxy at z ~ 3 will undergo 4–5 major mergers between z ~ 3 and z ~ 0, with most of this activity, and resulting mass assembly, occurring at z>1.5.

The concordance cosmological model based on cold dark matter makes definitive predictions for the growth of galaxies in the Universe, which are being actively studied using numerical simulations. These predictions appear to contradict the observations of dwarf galaxies. Dwarf dark matter halos are more numerous and have steeper central density profiles than the observed galaxies. The first of these small-scale problems, the “missing satellites problem”, can be resolved by accounting for the low efficiency of gas cooling and star formation in dwarf halos. A newly-discovered class of HyperVelocity Stars will soon allow us to test another generic prediction of CDM models, the triaxial shapes of dark matter halos. Measuring the proper motions of HVS will probe the gravitational potential out to 100 kpc and will constrain the axis ratios and the orientation of the Galactic halo.

Red-sequence galaxies are known to obey well-defined scaling relations, such as the Fundamental Plane and the colour-magnitude relation, yet their star formation histories, which in part drive these relations, remain poorly understood. In this contribution, we summarize recent results from the NOAO Fundamental Plane Survey (NFPS). These results appear in more detail in Smith et al. (2006) and Nelan et al. (2005).

Based on VLT/FORS spectroscopy and HST/ACS imaging, we have constructed a sample of 125 field spiral galaxies that cover redshifts up to z = 1. By deriving the galaxies' luminosities, disk sizes, maximum rotation velocities, stellar masses, total masses, gas-phase metallicities etc., we are able to study the evolution of fundamental scaling relations like the Tully–Fisher relation as a function of cosmic time. While the evolution of most of the galaxies' fundamental parameters is in compliance with a hierarchical structure growth, the results from stellar population modelling favour a down-sizing scenario in the sense that the average stellar ages in high-mass spirals are older than in low-mass spirals.

BACKGROUND: In the process of galaxy formation, super-nova driven feedback from low-mass galaxies is the process that most readily account for the galaxy mass-metallicity relation and for the shallower galaxy luminosity function (LF) compared to the halo mass function. Absorption-selected galaxies are prime candidates for the sites of starburst activity as (1) they probe the gaseous halos of galaxies up to ~50 kpc (Steidel 1995), and (2) galaxies on the faint end of the LF are likely dominating the statistics. Galaxies selected via their MgII λ2796/2803 doublet absorption against background QSOs are especially well suited as Mg is produced by type II supernova.

GOAL: Our project was to constrain the physical models of the gaseous halos by measuring the dark matter halo-mass (Mh) of the MgII host-galaxies statistically, i.e. without identifying spectroscopically the host-galaxy.

METHOD: We have used the cross-correlation w(rθ) (over co-moving scales rθ:0.05–13h−1Mpc) between our sample of 1800 z ≃ 0.5 MgII absorbers with equivalent w width W2796r−0.3 Å, and 250,000 Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs), both selected from SDSS/DR3. The cross-correlation relies on the LRG photometric redshifts, but is not affected from contaminants such as stars or foreground and background galaxies as shown theoretically in Bouché et al. 2005 and empirically in Bouché et al. 2006.

RESULTS: From the cross-correlation analysis, we found (Bouché et al. 2006) (i) that the absorber host-halo mean mass is 〈 log Mh (M⊙)〉 = 11.94 ±0.31(stat)+0.24−0.25(sys), i.e. about 1/2 L*, and (ii) an anti-correlation between halo mass Mh and equivalent width W2796r.

INTERPRETATION: One SDSS MgII absorber (system) is made of several sub-components or clouds and the stronger the equivalent with of the absorber, the more clouds per system spread over a larger velocity range (Δv). This follows since each sub-component has a velocity width of ~ 5 kms s−1 (Churchill 1997). As result, the equivalent width W2796r is a measure of velocity width (Δv) as demonstrated by Ellison 2006. Together with our SDSS results, these relations imply a mass–velocity Mh–Δv anti-correlation. If the clouds in the host-halos were virialized, velocity and mass would have been correlated.

CONCLUSION: Therefore, our Mh–Δv anti-correlation shows that the clouds are not virialized in the gaseous halos of the hosts. This conclusion is best understood in the context of starburst driven outflows where the velocity Δv is related to bulk motion. This opens the possibility to study M82-analogs up to z ~ 2.0 using the MgII selection.

We have demonstrated the first near-infrared multi-object spectrograph, CIRPASS, on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) and the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope. We have conducted an Hα survey of 38 0.77 < z < 1 galaxies over ~100 arcmin2 of the Hubble Deep Field North and Flanking Fields, to determine star formation rates (SFRs) using CIRPASS on the WHT. This represents the first successful application of this technique to observing high redshift galaxies (Doherty et al. 2004). Stacking the spectra in the rest-frame, we find a lower limit (uncorrected for dust reddening) on the star formation rate density at redshift z = 1 of 0.04 M⊙ yr−1 Mpc−3 (Doherty et al. 2006). This implies rapid evolution in the star formation rate density from z = 0 to z = 1 which is proportional to (1 + z)3.1. We intend to extend our work with FMOS on Subaru as the evolSMURF project (the Evolution of Star-formation and Metallicity in the Universe at high Redshift with FMOS). This will represent nearly two orders-of-magnitude improvement on previous work, and for the first time will provide a sample of sufficient size to measure accurately the Hα luminosity function, and so determine the global star formation rate using the same indicator as used in local surveys. Using [O II]3727 Å, Hβ, [O III] 5007 Å and Hα redshifted into the z, J & H bands, we can chart the star formation history over 70% of the age of the Universe, affording complete coverage up to z = 1.6 with the same well-understood diagnostics. The line ratios will also allow the extinction and metallicity to be measured at z>1. This will resolve one of the long-standing puzzles in extragalactic astrophysics – the true evolution of the Madau-Lilly diagram of star formation density.

We present the first results of a targeted survey carried out with the 305m Arecibo radiotelescope to detect HI-line emission from disk galaxies at redshift z > 0.16. We are using this sample to study the evolution of the zero point of the Tully-Fisher relation (TFR) for galaxies at intermediate redshifts. Compared to optical widths, HI measurements sample a larger fraction of the disks, where the rotation curves are typically flat, and are not affected by slit smearing and misalignment or by aperture effects. Thus, in contrast to studies based on optical spectroscopy, this dataset allows for a direct comparison with the local TFR that is technique independent.

The growth and the evolution of the bar instability in stellar-gaseous disks embedded in a dark matter halo evolving in a cosmological framework is explored. We point out the impact of different gas fractions on the bar formation, inside disks of different disk-to-halo mass ratio.

We present the latest results of the survey searching for the nature of UV-selected galaxies in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey fields. By searching for UV-bright galaxies at intermediate redshifts (z ~ 1) we aim at understanding the nature of star-forming galaxies and their counterparts at higher-z, the so-called Lyman Break Galaxies.

Samples of Extremely Red Galaxies (ERGs) have generally been seen to comprise a mix of actively star-forming galaxies with significant dust reddening and evolved, passive galaxies, at redshifts about z ≈ 1 − 2. Initial results from deep Keck spectroscopy of ERGs (Doherty et al. 2005) revealed dominant old stellar populations in 75% of our spectroscopic sample, but only 28% have spectra with no evidence of recent star formation activity, such as would be expected for a strictly passively-evolving population. This study suggests that the bulk of the ERGs are luminous, spheroidal, evolved galaxies, but undergoing intermittent activity consistent with continued growth.

Through a detailed investigation of individual galaxies in our sample we aim to address various outstanding questions. What fraction of their mass is produced in ongoing star formation? Is there a characteristic mass at which star formation is abruptly truncated? What mechanism provokes a secondary burst of star formation in evolved galaxies?

We fit Bruzual & Charlot (2003; BC03) simple stellar population models to the broad band SEDs over a wide baseline, using a reduced χ2 minimisation, to investigate ages, stellar masses and star formation histories. The fits for the early types agree well with information in the spectra and return ages of 2–3 Gyr and masses in the range 1011–1012M⊙. The objects with recent star formation episodes are more complex. Some are fit well by continuous star formation models, accounting for the effects of dust. We are now in the process of exploring multi-population fits to investigate the effects of episodic bursts.

Previous morphological studies of ERGs have revealed a diverse mix of galaxies – a combination of pure bulges, disks and a small fraction of irregular or interacting systems. We are curious to determine whether a morphological analysis produces results consistent with the spectroscopic properties of our sample. We are investigating a sub-sample of our galaxies which have HST imaging publically available. Initial results from a quantitative analysis using bulge/disk decomposition with GALFIT and GIM2D indicate that most galaxies with Early type spectra are bulge dominated. In contrast, a significant fraction of the galaxies showing spectroscopic signatures of on-going star formation on top of underlying old stellar populations appear to have a well-established classical spiral morphology, wih knots of star formation located in spiral arms around a central bulge. There is tenuous evidence (under further investigation) that at least half of the post-starbursts in our sample are barred spirals, lending support to theories relating post-starbursts to recent mergers.

We are studying how stellar masses assemble through cosmic time since the Universe had only 30% of its present age. We are conducting a census of galaxies which covers the end of the most active star-forming phase, using a mass-limited sample of approximately 5,000 objects selected from the VIMOS VLT Deep Survey (VVDS) in the redshift range 0.45 < z < 1.3. With a criterion based on the direct spectral measurement of the 4000Å Balmer break, Dn(4000), we have classified our sample in spectroscopically early and late-type galaxies. The trends existing between stellar mass, spectroscopic classification, and star formation activity are clearly shown in our analysis.

This is an ongoing project.

During last few years, new instruments like GIRAFFE (Flores, H., Hammer, F., Puech, M., et al., 2006, A&A 455,107) or SINFONI (Förster Schreiber, N.M., Genzel, R., Lehnert, M.D., et al., 2006, ApJ 645,1062) have began investigations on 3D kinematics of high redshift galaxies. This is just the head of the iceberg as Extremely Large Telescope will allow this kind of study on a larger sample. By now, it is important to be able to recover the actual kinematic parameters, and overall to disentangle evolutionnary effects from distance effects.

Using HST WFPC2 and NICMOS observations, and our 2D image weighting and modelling technique (Floyd et al. 2004), we have reliably disentangled host from nucleus for nine optically matched radio-loud quasars (RLQ) and nine radio-quiet quasars (RQQ) at z = 1&2, in two bands spanning the 4000Å break. The resulting galaxy colours provide the first unbiased estimates of galaxy mass for a statistical sample of quasars at high redshift, and indicates a difference in the evolution of radio-loud and radio-quiet objects.

We have conducted sensitive HCN(1-0) line observations of four high redshift submillimeter (sub-mm) galaxies and QSOs with the VLA. Although none is significantly detected in either line or continuum emission, thanks to the gravitational lens, sub-mm galaxy SMM J16359+6612 is marginally (at the 3-4σ level) detected once the three lensed components are stacked up. The HCN source appears to be double with a separation of ~1.5'', consistent with what has been implied from other observations. This first possible HCN detection of a submm galaxy, and three stringent HCN upper limits, combined with previous HCN detections and upper limits strongly constrain the HCN/CO ratios at high-z to be comparable to that of local ULIRGs.

The VVDS Surveys aim at understanding the combined evolution of galaxies and large scale structure and have by now collected more than 35000 redshifts in four sky areas covering a total of 4.3 square degrees. They are the only surveys of this kind using a purely apparent magnitude selection, thus avoiding the intrinsic biases present in most of the high redshift color based surveys.

We present the results of observations of distant galaxies (z ~ 0.8) at high spatial resolution (~0.1"). We observed 7 fields of 1' × 1' with the NACO Adaptive Optics system (VLT) in Ks (2.2μm) band with typical V ~ 14 guide stars and 3h integration time per field. Observed fields are selected within the COSMOS survey area. We analyze the morphologies by means of B/D (Bulge/Disk) decomposition with GIM2D and CAS (Concentration-Asymmetry) estimators for 79 galaxies with magnitudes between Ks = 17 − 23 and classify them in three main morphological types (Late Type, Early Type and Irregulars). We obtain for the first time an estimate of the distribution of galaxy types at redshift z ~ 1 as measured from the near infrared at high spatial resolution.

We discovered 30 candidate galaxies are clustering in a small ~200 Mpc2 region at z = 6 with 5σ local density excess in a wide 876 arcmin2 field. Four of them were spectroscopically identified as z = 5.9–6.0 Lyα emitters (~34 Mpc in line-of-sight). This structure is comparable to z = 4.8 and 5.7 galaxy proto-clusters previously found. Since the other candidates are likely to be real galaxies due to low sample contamination, the overdensity can be a z~6 proto-cluster.

We present the first results derived from the spectrophotometric properties of the Vimos VLT Deep Survey (VVDS) first epoch data. We have measured the spectral features (emission/absorption lines, 4000Å break) of a sample a ≈8000 galaxies taken from the VVDS deep 02h and CDFS fields using the platefit VVDS pipeline. We first selected a sub-sample of star-forming galaxies, which were distinguished from narrow-line AGNs by standard and blue diagnostic diagrams. Then the gas-phase oxygen abundances have been derived by fitting all available emission lines towards photo-ionization models. Finally the masses have been derived by fitting all photometric points together with significant spectral features to a library of stellar population models with complex star formation histories. The mass-metallicity relation that we find at low redshifts is in good agreement with previsous studies performed in the local Universe. We find moreover a significant evolution of the mass-metallicity relation with the redshift, the galaxies having on average less metals at a given mass when the redshift increases. We also find a flattening of the mass-metallicity relation up to z ~ 1.