SIMBAD references

The luminosity-size and mass-size distributions of galaxies out to z∼3 are presented. We use very deep near-infrared images of the Hubble Deep Field-South in the J_s, H, and K_sbands, taken as part of FIRES at the VLT, to follow the evolution of the optical rest-frame sizes of galaxies. For a total of 168 galaxies with K_s,AB≤23.5, we find that the rest-frame V-band sizes r_e,Vof luminous galaxies (L_V∼2x10¹⁰ h^–2 L_☉) at 2<z<3 are 3 times smaller than for equally luminous galaxies today. In contrast, the mass-size relation has evolved relatively little: the size at mass M_*∼2x10¹⁰ h^–2 M_☉ has changed by 20% (±20%) since z∼2.5. Both results can be reconciled by the fact that the stellar M/L ratio is lower in the luminous high-z galaxies than in nearby ones because they have young stellar populations. The lower incidence of large galaxies at z∼3 seems to reflect the rarity of galaxies with high stellar mass.