The evolution of disk galaxies in clusters and the field

Abstract

We describe our project to examine the evolution of distant disk galaxies, and present the results of our work based on the Tully-Fisher relation. Comparing matched cluster and field samples we find evidence that the cluster galaxies are on average 0.7 ± 0.2 mag brighter than those in the field. Considering the field sample alone we find a brightening with redshift amounting to 1.0 ± 0.5 mag by z = 1, which is likely to be an upper limit, considering the selection effects. We also give brief details of the ESO Distant Clusters Survey (EDisCS) and describe our plans for expanding our studies using data from this survey.