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On The Formation And Evolution Of Early-Type Galaxies, Christina Williams

Doctoral Dissertations

Galaxies in the local Universe are characterized by blue, star-forming disk galaxies, and red, massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) whose star-formation has been quenched early in the Universe's history. The ETGs are relics of the evolutionary processes that transform galaxies over cosmic time, but currently we still lack a comprehensive understanding of their evolution. An important link in the evolution of ETGs is that the first quenched galaxies (z~2) are both the most massive, and most compact, suggesting a physical connection between high stellar density and efficient, rapid cessation of star-formation. In this dissertation, I seek insight into the formation and …