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JOINT DAUT-ICTP-OATS-SISSA COLLOQUIUM
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Speaker: Andrea Cimatti (Arcetri Astronomical Observatory, Firenze)

Title: From progenitors to fossils: the cosmic history of massive galaxies

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Abstract: Despite the recent extraordinary progress in observational cosmology and the successful convergence on a single cosmological model, how and when galaxies formed and evolved is still rather unclear. I will briefly review the main open questions and show how massive spheroidal galaxies can be used as cosmological probes to trace the history of galaxy and structure formation. Then, I will present how the most recent results of deep observations with the modern ground- and space-based optical/near-infrared/mid-infrared facilities are unveiling substantial populations of massive galaxies up to z~2 and beyond. Finally, I will discuss how this new high-redshift picture compares with the properties of the present-day massive spheroids, and how these results can be used to better constrain the models of galaxy formation based on hierarchical merging.
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