Formation of S0 galaxies through mergers: Explaining angular momentum
  and concentration change from spirals to S0s
  The CALIFA team has recently found that the stellar angular momentum and
concentration of late-type spiral galaxies are incompatible with those of
lenticular galaxies (S0s), concluding that fading alone cannot satisfactorily
explain the evolution from spirals into S0s. Here we explore whether major
mergers can provide an alternative way to transform spirals into S0s by
analysing the spiral-spiral major mergers from the GalMer database that lead to
realistic, relaxed S0-like galaxies. We find that the change in stellar angular
momentum and concentration can explain the differences in the
$\lambda_\mathrm{Re}$--$R_{90}/R_{50}$ plane found by the CALIFA team. Major
mergers thus offer a feasible explanation for the transformation of spirals
into S0s.
