The structures of distant galaxies – III. The merger history of over 20 000 massive galaxies at z < 1.2

Utilizing deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging from the two largest field galaxy surveys, the Extended Groth Strip and the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS), we examine the structural properties, and derive the merger history for 21 902 galaxies withM∗ > 10 10 Matz 10 10 M� , the merger fraction can be parametrized by f m = f 0 × (1 + z) m with the power-law slope m = 2.3 ± 0.4. By using the best available z = 0 prior the slope increases to m = 3.8 ± 0.2, showing how critical the measurement of local merger properties is for deriving the evolution of the merger fraction. We furthermore show that the merger fraction derived through structure is roughly a factor of 3-6 higher than pair fractions. Based on the latest cosmological simulations of mergers, we show that this ratio is predicted, and that both methods are likely tracing the merger fraction and rate properly. We calculate, utilizing merger time-scales from simulations and previously published merger fractions within the Hubble Deep and Ultra Deep Fields, that the merger rate of galaxies with M∗ > 10 10 Mincreases linearly between z = 0.7 and 3. Finally, we show that a typical galaxy with a stellar mass of M∗ > 10 10 Mundergoes between 1 and 2 major mergers at z < 1.2.

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