Constraints on the Early Formation of Field Elliptical Galaxies

We present the results of an HK' wide-field survey encompassing the HubbleDeep Field and its Flanking Fields. Our wide-field survey provides uniformcoverage of an area 61.8 square arcmin to a depth equivalent to K=20.1 at5-sigma. We have also imaged the Hubble Deep Field in HK', providing uniformcoverage of an area 7.8 square arcmin to a depth equivalent to K=21.2 at5-sigma. Using these data in combination with new deep UH 8K V and I imagingobtained on the CFHT, we find only a small population of objects with colorsredder than an equivalent I-K=4, the color expected for an evolved ellipticalat z>1. We infer that only a fraction of the local field elliptical populationwith M_K<-23.4 could have formed in single bursts at high redshift.Comment: 20 pages, to appear in the Jan 1999 issue of The Astronomical Journa