Reconciling a significant hierarchical assembly of massive early-type galaxies at z<~1 with mass downsizing

TL;DR

This study presents a semi-analytical model demonstrating that most massive early-type galaxies assembled after z~1 through major mergers, reconciling hierarchical models with the observed mass downsizing phenomenon.

Contribution

The paper introduces a model that accounts for observed major mergers, showing that hierarchical assembly can align with galaxy mass downsizing.

Findings

Most present-day mETGs have assembled after z~1.

Approximately 90% of mETGs at z~1 will undergo major mergers.

The model reproduces observed mass downsizing trends.

Abstract

Hierarchical models predict that massive early-type galaxies (mETGs) are the latest systems to be in place into the cosmic scenario (at z<~0.5), conflicting with the observational phenomenon of galaxy mass downsizing, which poses that the most massive galaxies have been in place earlier that their lower-mass counterparts (since z~0.7). We have developed a semi-analytical model to test the feasibility of the major-merger origin hypothesis for mETGs, just accounting for the effects on galaxy evolution of the major mergers strictly reported by observations. The most striking model prediction is that very few present-day mETGs have been really in place since z~1, because ~90% of the mETGs existing at z~1 are going to be involved in a major merger between z~1 and the present. Accounting for this, the model derives an assembly redshift for mETGs in good agreement with hierarchical expectations, reproducing observational mass downsizing trends at the same time.