The VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS): A quiescent
  formation of massive red-sequence galaxies over the past 9 Gyr
  We explore the evolution of the Colour-Magnitude Relation (CMR) and
Luminosity Function (LF) at 0.4<z<1.3 from the VIMOS Public Extragalactic
Redshift Survey (VIPERS) using ~45,000 galaxies with precise spectroscopic
redshifts down to i'_AB<22.5 over ~10.32 deg^2 in two fields. From z=0.5 to
z=1.3 the LF and CMR are well defined for different galaxy populations and
M^*_B evolves by ~1.04(1.09)+/-0.06(0.10) mag for the total (red) galaxy
sample. We compare different criteria for selecting early-type galaxies (ETGs):
(1) fixed cut in rest-frame (U-V) colours, (2) evolving cut in (U-V) colours,
(3) rest-frame (NUV-r')-(r'-K) colour selection, and (4) SED classification.
Regardless of the method we measure a consistent evolution of the red-sequence
(RS). Between 0.4<z<1.3 we find a moderate evolution of the RS intercept of
Delta(U-V)=0.28+/-0.14 mag, favouring exponentially declining star formation
(SF) histories with SF truncation at 1.7<=z<=2.3. Together with the rise in the
ETG number density by 0.64 dex since z=1, this suggests a rapid build-up of
massive galaxies (M>10^11 M_sun) and expeditious RS formation over a short
period of ~1.5 Gyr starting before z=1. This is supported by the detection of
ongoing SF in ETGs at 0.9<z<1.0, in contrast with the quiescent red stellar
populations of ETGs at 0.5<z<0.6. There is an increase in the observed CMR
scatter with redshift, two times larger than in galaxy clusters and at variance
with theoretical models. We discuss possible physical mechanisms that support
the observed evolution of the red galaxy population. Our findings point out
that massive galaxies have experienced a sharp SF quenching at z~1 with only
limited additional merging. In contrast, less-massive galaxies experience a mix
of SF truncation and minor mergers which build-up the low- and
intermediate-mass end of the CMR.
