Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Early assembly of the most massive galaxies

Nature volume 458, pages 603–606 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The current consensus is that galaxies begin as small density fluctuations in the early Universe and grow by in situ star formation and hierarchical merging1. Stars begin to form relatively quickly in sub-galactic-sized building blocks called haloes which are subsequently assembled into galaxies. However, exactly when this assembly takes place is a matter of some debate2,3. Here we report that the stellar masses of brightest cluster galaxies, which are the most luminous objects emitting stellar light, some 9 billion years ago are not significantly different from their stellar masses today. Brightest cluster galaxies are almost fully assembled 4-5 billion years after the Big Bang, having grown to more than 90 per cent of their final stellar mass by this time. Our data conflict with the most recent galaxy formation models4,5 based on the largest simulations of dark-matter halo development1. These models predict protracted formation of brightest cluster galaxies over a Hubble time, with only 22 per cent of the stellar mass assembled at the epoch probed by our sample. Our findings suggest a new picture in which brightest cluster galaxies experience an early period of rapid growth rather than prolonged hierarchical assembly.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Infrared image of the cluster J2235.
Figure 2: The stellar evolution of BCGs with redshift.
Figure 3: The mass evolution of BCGs with redshift.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Springel, V. et al. Simulations of the formation, evolution and clustering of galaxies and quasars. Nature 435, 629–636 (2005)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Kampakoglou, M., Trotta, R. & Silk, J. Monolithic or hierarchical star formation? A new statistical analysis. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 384, 1414–1426 (2008)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. van Dokkum, P. G. et al. Confirmation of the remarkable compactness of massive quiescent galaxies at z ≈ 2.3: early-type galaxies did not form in a simple monolithic collapse. Astrophys. J. Lett. 677, L5–L8 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. De Lucia, G. & Blaizot, J. The hierarchical formation of the brightest cluster galaxies. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 375, 2–14 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bower, R. G. et al. Breaking the hierarchy of galaxy formation. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 370, 645–655 (2006)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Vale, A. & Ostriker, J. P. A non-parametric model for linking galaxy luminosity with halo/subhalo mass: are brightest cluster galaxies special? Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 383, 355–368 (2008)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Sandage, A. & Hardy, E. The redshift-distance relation. VIL absolute magnitudes of the first three ranked cluster galaxies as functions of cluster richness and Bautz-Morgan cluster type: the effect of q o . Astrophys. J. 183, 743–758 (1973)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Lauer, T. R. & Postman, M. The motion of the Local Group with respect to the 15,000 kilometer per second Abell cluster inertial frame. Astrophys. J. 425, 418–438 (1994)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Collins, C. A. & Mann, R. G. The K-band Hubble diagram for brightest cluster galaxies in X-ray clusters. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 297, 128–142 (1998)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Burke, D. J., Collins, C. A. & Mann, R. G. Cluster selection and the evolution of brightest cluster galaxies. Astrophys. J. Lett. 532, L105–L108 (2000)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Bremer, M. N. et al. XMM-LSS discovery of a z = 1.22 galaxy cluster. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 371, 1427–1434 (2006)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Stanford, S. A. et al. The XMM Cluster Survey: a massive galaxy cluster at z = 1.45. Astrophys. J. Lett. 646, L13–L16 (2006)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Rosati, P. et al. An X-ray-selected galaxy cluster at Z = 1.26. Astron. J. 118, 76–85 (1999)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Demarco, R. et al. VLT and ACS observations of RDCS J1252.9–2927: dynamical structure and galaxy populations in a massive cluster at z = 1.237. Astrophys. J. 663, 164–182 (2007)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Mullis, C. R. et al. Discovery of an X-ray-luminous galaxy cluster at z = 1.4. Astrophys. J. Lett. 623, L85–L88 (2005)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Romer, A. K., Viana, P. T. P., Liddle, A. R. & Mann, R. G. A serendipitous galaxy cluster survey with XMM: expected catalog properties and scientific applications. Astrophys. J. 547, 594–608 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Sahlén, M. et al. The XMM Cluster Survey: forecasting cosmological and cluster scaling relation parameter constraints. Preprint at 〈http://arxiv.org/abs/0802.4462〉 (2008)

  18. Hilton, M. et al. The XMM Cluster Survey: the dynamical state of XMMXCS J2215.9–1738 at z = 1.457. Astrophys. J. 670, 1000–1009 (2007)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Stott, J. P., Edge, A. C., Smith, G. P., Swinbank, A. M. & Ebeling, H. Near-infrared evolution of brightest cluster galaxies in the most X-ray luminous clusters since z = 1. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 384, 1502–1510 (2008)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Whiley, I. M. et al. The evolution of the brightest cluster galaxies since z ≈ 1 from the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS). Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 387, 1253–1263 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Yamada, T. et al. Witnessing the hierarchical assembly of the brightest cluster galaxy in a cluster at z = 1.26. Astrophys. J. Lett. 577, L89–L92 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Eggen, O. J., Lynden-Bell, D. & Sandage, A. R. Evidence from the motions of old stars that the Galaxy collapsed. Astrophys. J. 136, 748–767 (1962)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Larson, R. B. Dynamical models for the formation and evolution of spherical galaxies. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 166, 585–616 (1974)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Binney, J. On the origin of the galaxy luminosity function. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 347, 1093–1096 (2004)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Dekel, A. et al. Cold streams in early massive hot haloes as the main mode of galaxy formation. Nature 457, 451–454 (2009)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Wake, D. A. et al. The 2df SDSS LRG and QSO survey: evolution of the luminosity function of luminous red galaxies to z = 0.6. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 372, 537–550 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Almeida, C. et al. Luminous red galaxies in hierarchical cosmologies. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 386, 2145–2160 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Lin, Y.-T. & Mohr, J. J. K-band properties of galaxy clusters and groups: brightest cluster galaxies and intracluster light. Astrophys. J. 617, 879–895 (2004)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Bruzual, G. & Charlot, S. Stellar population synthesis at the resolution of 2003. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 344, 1000–1028 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. Chabrier, G. Galactic stellar and substellar initial mass function. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacif. 115, 763–795 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work is based in part on data collected at the Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and the XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission funded by contributions from ESA member states and from NASA. We acknowledge financial support from Liverpool John Moores University and the STFC. M.H. acknowledges support from the South African National Research Foundation. IRAF is distributed by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, which are operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. We thank G. De Lucia for making simulation results available to us in tabular form, I. Tanaka for developing the MCSRED package used to reduce the MOIRCS data, M. Salaris for discussions on stellar population synthesis models and B. Maughan for discussions on cluster masses.

Author Contributions C.A.C. provided the scientific leadership, helped design the experiment, wrote the paper and led the interpretation. J.P.S. performed the photometry and data analysis and made major contributions to the interpretation. M.H. wrote the Subaru proposal, carried out the data reduction and photometric calibration, contributed to the analysis and interpretation and provided detailed comments on the manuscript. S.T.K. independently checked the cluster mass calculations. S.A.S. provided useful discussions on the data and comments on the manuscript. The remaining authors make up the team of the wider XCS project which led to the discovery of J2215. R.G.M., R.C.N., and A.K.R. made useful comments on the text.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Twelve Quays House, Egerton Wharf, Birkenhead, CH41 1LD, UK ,

    Chris A. Collins, John P. Stott & Matt Hilton

  2. Astrophysics and Cosmology Research Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa ,

    Matt Hilton

  3. South African Astronomical Observatory, PO Box 9, Observatory, Cape Town 7935, South Africa ,

    Matt Hilton

  4. Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK ,

    Scott T. Kay

  5. Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA,

    S. Adam Stanford

  6. Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551, USA ,

    S. Adam Stanford

  7. SUPA, Institute of Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UK ,

    Michael Davidson & Robert G. Mann

  8. Astronomy Centre, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QH, UK ,

    Mark Hosmer, Andrew Liddle, Ed Lloyd-Davies, Nicola Mehrtens, A. Kathy Romer & Martin Sahlén

  9. ICG, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2EG, UK ,

    Ben Hoyle & Robert C. Nichol

  10. Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85719, USA ,

    Christopher J. Miller

  11. Departmento de Matemática Aplicada da Faculdade de Ciências da Universiadade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal,

    Pedro T. P. Viana

  12. Centro de Astrofisica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto, Portugal ,

    Pedro T. P. Viana

  13. European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile ,

    Michael J. West

Authors
  1. Chris A. Collins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John P. Stott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Matt Hilton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Scott T. Kay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. S. Adam Stanford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Michael Davidson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Mark Hosmer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Ben Hoyle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Andrew Liddle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Ed Lloyd-Davies
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Robert G. Mann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Nicola Mehrtens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Christopher J. Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Robert C. Nichol
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. A. Kathy Romer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  16. Martin Sahlén
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  17. Pedro T. P. Viana
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  18. Michael J. West
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chris A. Collins.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

This file contains Supplementary Data, Supplementary References, Supplementary Figures 1-4 with Legends and Supplementary Table 1 (PDF 550 kb)

PowerPoint slides

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Collins, C., Stott, J., Hilton, M. et al. Early assembly of the most massive galaxies. Nature 458, 603–606 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07865

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07865

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing