Can we accurately link observed progenitor and descendant galaxy populations? - Paul Torrey (MIT)

Over the past decade, galaxy surveys have provided detailed information about galaxy populations out to high redshift.  However, in order to learn about how individual galaxies grow, a method is required for forging progenitor/descendant links between the observed galaxy populations.  A common, but knowingly flawed, method for linking galaxy populations is to assume that they evolve at a constant comoving number density.  I will use the results of hydrodynamical simulations to explore the evolution of galaxy populations in comoving number density space and discuss the implications for inferring galactic mass, size, and morphology evolution.  I'll apply the comoving number density analysis framework to discuss the origin and fate of compact massive galaxies and I will end by addressing the following question:  do high redshift compact massive galaxies evolve into the cores of the present day most massive systems?