EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES IN THE HUBBLE DEEP FIELD - THE [MU(E)]-R(E) RELATION AND THE LACK OF LARGE GALAXIES AT HIGH-REDSHIFT

We present the results of detailed surface photometry of a sample of e arly-type galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field (HDF). Effective radii, su rface brightnesses, and total V-606 magnitudes have been obtained, as well as U-300, B-450, I-814, J, H, and K colors, which are compared wi th the predictions of chemical spectrophotometric models of population synthesis. Spectroscopic redshifts are available for 23 objects. For the other 25, photometric redshifts are given. In the [mu(e)]-r(e) pla ne, the early-type galaxies of the HDF turn out to follow the ''rest f rame'' Kormendy relation once the appropriate K- and evolutionary corr ections are applied. This evidence, linked to the dynamical informatio n gathered by Steidel et al., indicates that these galaxies, even at z similar or equal to 2-3, lie in the fundamental plane in a virial equ ilibrium condition. At the same redshifts a statistically significant lack of large galaxies (i.e., with log r(e)(kpc) > 0.2) is observed.