Color Evolution from z=0 to z=1

Abstract

Rest frame Stromgren photometry (3500A, 4100A, 4750A and 5500A) is presented for 509 galaxies in 17 rich clusters between z=0 and z=1 as a test of color evolution. Our observations confirm a strong, rest frame, Butcher-Oemler effect where the fraction of blue galaxies increases from 20% at z=0.4 to 80% at z=0.9. We also find that a majority of these blue cluster galaxies are composed of normal disk or post-starbursts systems based on color criteria. When comparing our colors to the morphological results from HST imaging, we propose that the blue cluster galaxies are a population of late-type, LSB objects who fade and are then destroyed by the cluster tidal field. After isolating the red objects from Butcher-Oemler objects, we have compared the mean color of these old, non-star forming objects with SED models in the literature as a test for passive galaxy evolution in ellipticals. We find good agreement with single burst models which predict a mean epoch of galaxy formation at z=5. Tracing the red envelope for ellipticals places the earliest epoch of galaxy formation at z=10.