Near-infrared surface photometry of barred spiral galaxies

C. W. Baumgart, C. J. Peterson
1986 Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific  
Near-infrared photographic plates of eleven barred spiral galaxies have been studied to determine the parameters which characterize the luminosity structures of the stellar bars of these systems. Although the galaxies under study are all SB forms, they show relatively few strong similarities in their radial luminosity profiles. Eight of the eleven exhibit some isophotal twisting in their central regions which suggests that the bulges of these systems are triaxial in nature. A similar fraction
more » ... the galaxies exhibits isophotal twisting within the bars. About one-half of the sample possesses radial luminosity profiles in which the disk component, if extrapolated into the central regions of the galaxy, would contribute more luminosity than is actually observed. The data have been compared to the theoretical stellar bar model of the three-dimensional A-body simulation of Miller and Smith (1979) . The observed radial luminosity profiles are exponential in qualitative agreement with the model, but the behavior of the ellipticity differs significantly both in terms of the average value and in its change with increasing radius.
doi:10.1086/131721 fatcat:jdkftbqt4nch5bri5j46w63ihm