Toward understanding the origin of the fundamental plane for early-type galaxies

We present a panoramic review of several observational and theoretical aspects of the modern astrophysical research about the origin of the fundamental plane (FP) relation for early-type galaxies (ETGs). The discussion is focused on the problem of the tilt and the tightness of the FP, and on the attempts to derive the luminosity evolution of ETCs with redshift. Finally, a number of observed features in the FP are interpreted from the standpoint of a new theoretical approach based on the two-component tensor virial theorem. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.