Angular momentum evolution of disk galaxies at high redshift

The stellar disk size of a galaxy depends on the fraction of the dark-halo mass settled as disk stars, m★= M★/Mdh, and the fraction of the dark-halo angular momentum transferred to the disk, j★ = J★/Jdh. Since j★ is also determined by various star-formation related mechanisms such as inflows and feedbacks, measuring j★ and m★ at high redshifts is needed to understand the formation history of disk galaxies. We use the 3D-HST GOODS-S, COSMOS, and AEGIS imaging data and photo-z catalogs to examine j★ and m★ for star-forming galaxies at z ~ 2,3,4, when disks are actively forming. We find that the j★/m★ ratio is roughly constant at ≃ 0.8 for all three redshifts over the entire halo mass range examined. This high ratio is close to those of local disk galaxies but a factor of a few higher than predicted (at z~2) by galaxy formation models. We also find that a significant fraction of our galaxies appear to be unstable against bar formation.