First Results from Galaxy Zoo CANDELS: The Settling of Galactic Disks from 0.5 < z < 2
Abstract
Large-scale bar features in disk galaxies are tracers of the dynamical maturity of the population. Previous studies have found that the incidence of bars in disks decreases from the local Universe to z ~ 1, and by z > 1 simulations predict that bar features in dynamically mature disks should be extremely rare. We report the discovery of strong barred structures in massive disk galaxies at z ~ 1.5 in deep rest-frame optical images from CANDELS, implying the host disks are dynamically settled enough to be unstable to bar formation. The fraction of disk galaxies hosting barred structures does not significantly evolve across the redshift range 0.5 < z < 2 (fbar = 10.7+6.3-3.5% after correcting for incompleteness). We discuss the implications of this discovery in the context of existing simulations and our current understanding of the way disk galaxies have evolved over the last 11 billion years.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #225
- Pub Date:
- January 2015
- Bibcode:
- 2015AAS...22542602S