The Gemini Deep Deep Survey: III. The abundance of massive galaxies 3-6 billion years after the Big Bang

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Abstract
A fundamental prediction of our current hierarchical paradigm of galaxy formation is that massive galaxies form from an assembly of smaller units. The most massive objects form last, driven by the merging history of their dark matter haloes. The model succeeds in describing the clustering of galaxies, but the evolutionary history of massive galaxies, as revealed by their visible stars and gas, presents problems. Near-infrared light allows us to measure the stellar masses of high-redshift galaxies and deep multi-colour images indicate that a large fraction of the stellar masses in massive galaxies form in the first 5 Gyr; but uncertainties remain due the lack of spectra to confirm the redshift and the role of obscuration. Here we report on the Gemini Deep Deep Survey, the deepest spectroscopic redshift survey ever undertaken which probes the most massive and quiescent galaxies back to an era only 3 Gyr after the Big Bang. We find that at least two thirds of massive galaxies have appeared since this era, but also that a significant fraction is already in place indicating a suprisingly slow rate of decline as we look back in time.

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