The abundance of massive compact galaxies at $1.0 < z < 3.0$ in
  3D-HST/CANDELS
  Based on a large sample of massive ($M_{*}\geq 10^{10} M_{\odot}$) compact
galaxies at $1.0 < z < 3.0$ in five 3D-HST/CANDELS fields, we quantify the
fractional abundance and comoving number density of massive compact galaxies as
a function of redshift. The samples of compact quiescent galaxies (cQGs) and
compact star-forming galaxies (cSFGs) are constructed by various selection
criteria of compact galaxies in literatures, and the effect of compactness
definition on abundance estimate is proved to be remarkable, particularly for
the cQGs and cSFGs at high redshifts. Regardless of the compactness criteria
adopted, their overall redshift evolutions of fractional abundance and number
density are found to be rather similar. Large samples of the cQGs exhibit a
sustaining increase in number density from $z \sim 3$ to 2 and a plateau at
$1<z<2$. For massive cSFGs, a plateau in the number density at $2<z<3$ can be
found, as well as a continuous drop from $z \sim 2$ to 1. The evolutionary
trends of the cQG and cSFG abundances support the scenario that the cSFGs at $z
\geq 2$ may have been rapidly quenched into quiescent phase via violent
dissipational processes such as major merger and disk instabilities. Rarity of
the cSFGs at lower redshifts ($z < 1$) can be interpreted by the decrease of
gas reservoirs in dark matter halos and the consequent low efficiency of
gas-rich dissipation.
