Formation and Cosmic Evolution of Elliptical Galaxies

A review of the present observational and theoretical status of elliptical galaxies is presented with the aim to clarify whether the monolithic or the hierarchical, is a more viable scenario for the origin of these structures. We describe the dynamical structure of elliptical galaxies using photometric and spectroscopic data, in particular 3D observations from integral field spectrographs, with emphasis on properties such as brightness distribution, velocity profiles, central structures like "cuspy" profiles and "cores", as well as central supermassive black holes. We also report on the main relations between these quantities like the fundamental plane and colour-luminosity diagram. We present observational evidences for the presence of dark matter in the elliptical galaxies and examine the theories of galaxy formation within the framework of a cold dark matter cosmological model. We discuss the formation of large-scale structure, Press-Schechter theory and universal density profile of dark matter halos. Subsequently, gas dynamics, star formation, feedback, angular momentum, morphology and the epoch of galaxy formation are studied and comparison between disks and spheroids are made. Valuable insights into the formation epoch of elliptical galaxies are provided by deriving the mean metallicities and ages at different redshifts through the study of different population synthesis models (single-burst and evolutionary models) in particular the magnesium to iron ratio.