We present a first combined analysis of the morphological and dynamical properties for the Intermediate MAss Galaxy Evolution Sequence (IMAGES) sample. It is a representative sample of 52 z~0.6 galaxies with Mstell from 1.5 to 15 10^10Msun and posses
sing 3D resolved kinematics and HST deep imaging in at least two broad band filters. We aim at evaluate robustly the evolution of rotating spirals since z~0.6, as well as to test the different schemes for classifying galaxies morphologically. We used all the information provided by multi-band images, color maps and 2 dimensional light fitting to assign to each object a morphological class. We divided our sample between spiral disks, peculiar objects, compact objects and mergers. Using our morphological classification scheme, 4/5 of identified spirals are rotating disks and more than 4/5 of identified peculiar galaxies show complex kinematics, while automatic classification methods such as Concentration-Asymmetry and GINI-M20 severely overestimate the fraction of relaxed disk galaxies. Using this methodology, we find that the fraction of rotating spirals has increased by a factor ~ 2 during the last 6 Gyrs, a much higher fraction that found previously based on morphologies alone. These rotating spiral disks are forming stars very rapidly, doubling their stellar masses over the last 6 Gyrs, while most of their stars have been formed few Gyrs earlier, which reveals the presence of a large gas supply. Because they are likely the progenitors of local spirals, we can conjecture how their properties are evolving. Their disks show some evidence for an inside-out growth and the gas supply/accretion is not made randomly as the disk need to be stable in order to match the local disk properties.
The use of multiple integral field units with FLAMES/GIRAFFE at VLT has revolutionized investigations of distant galaxy kinematics. This facility may recover the velocity fields of almost all emission line galaxies with I_(AB)<22.5 at z<0.8. We have
gathered a unique sample of 63 velocity fields at z=0.4-0.75, which are representative of M_stellar > 1.5*10^10 M_sun emission line W_0([OII])>15 AA galaxies, and are unaffected by cosmic variance. Taking into account all galaxies -with or without emission lines- in that redshift range, we find that 42+/-7% of them have anomalous kinematics, including 26+/-7% with complex kinematics, i.e. not supported by either rotation or by dispersion. The large fraction of complex velocity fields suggests a large impact of merging in shaping the galaxies in the intermediate mass range. We discuss how this can be accommodated within the frame of current scenarios of galaxy formation, including for the Milky Way and M31.
