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Hubble Space Telescope Optical-Near-Infrared Colors Of THE ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 546:216È222, 2001 January 1 ( 2001. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. HUBBL E SPACE T EL ESCOPE OPTICALÈNEAR-INFRARED COLORS OF NEARBY R1@4 AND EXPONENTIAL BULGES1 C. MARCELLA CAROLLO2 Columbia University, Department of Astronomy, 538 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 MASSIMO STIAVELLI Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 P. TIM DE ZEEUW Sterrewacht Leiden, Postbus 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands AND MARC SEIGAR3 AND HERWIG DEJONGHE Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000 Gent, Belgium Received 2000 May 16; accepted 2000 July 25 ABSTRACT We have analyzed V , H, and J Hubble Space Telescope (HST ) images for a sample of early- to late- type spiral galaxies and have reported elsewhere the statistical frequency of R1@4-law and exponential bulges in our sample as a function of Hubble type and the frequency of occurrence and structural properties of the resolved central nuclei hosted by intermediate- to late-type bulges and disks (see refer- ences in the text). Here we use these data to show the following: 1. The V [H color distribution of the R1@4 bulge peaks around SV [HT D 1.3, with a sigma *(V [H) D 0.1 mag. Assuming a solar metallicity, these values correspond to stellar ages of B6 ^ 3 Gyr. In contrast, the V [H color distribution of the exponential bulges peaks at SV [H D 0.9T and has a sigma *(V [H) D 0.4 mag. This likely implies signiÐcantly smaller ages and/or lower metallicities for (a signiÐcant fraction of the stars in) the exponential bulges compared to the R1@4-law spheroids. 2. Most of the central nuclei hosted by the exponential bulges have V [H and J[H colors that are compatible with relatively unobscured stellar populations. Assuming no or little dust e†ects, ages Z1 6 7 Gyr are suggested for these nuclei, which in turn imply masses of about a few 10 to a few 10 M_, i.e., sufficient to dissolve progenitor bars with masses consistent with those inferred for the exponential bulges by their luminosities. 3. While di†erent bulge-nucleus pairs cover a large range of V [H colors, each bulge-nucleus pair has quite similar V [H colors and thus possibly similar stellar populations. The HST photometric analysis suggests that exponential-type bulge formation is taking place in the local universe and that this process is consistent with being the outcome of secular evolution processes within the disks. The structures that are currently formed inside the disks are quite dissimilar from the old elliptical-like spheroids that are hosted by the early-type disks. Subject headings: galaxies: evolution È galaxies: formation È galaxies: nuclei È galaxies: structure 1. INTRODUCTION whether they form before, contemporaneously with, or after the disks (e.g., see the detailed review by Wyse, Gilmore, & The size of the central bulge compared to the size of the Franx 1997; and also Bouwens, Cayon, & Silk 1999). In the disk is one of the classiÐcation criteria of the entire Hubble one extreme, bulges may arise from the collapse of a pri- sequence (Sandage & Bedke 1994). Furthermore, bulges mordial gas cloud into clumps that then merge together, host a large fraction of the baryons that have been con- and the disk would then be a later accretion by gas infall verted into stars during the Hubble time (e.g., Fukugita, (e.g., Eggen, Lynden-Bell, & Sandage 1962; Larson 1975; Hogan, & Peebles 1998). It is also likely that the formation Carlberg 1984). In the opposite extreme, bulges may form of bulges plays a role in polluting the intergalactic medium by vertical dynamical instabilities of the disks (e.g., Combes with processed matter and radiation and thus a†ects the et al. 1990; Pfenniger 1993). formation of luminous structure on larger scales. Yet, to Historically, ““ bulges ÏÏ have been recognized as such date, we do not understand ““ how ÏÏ bulges form nor even because they appear as high surface brightness, concen- trated objects in the considerably larger and fainter disks. 1 Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, These ““ bulges by deÐnition ÏÏ often also have quite a distinct obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by color and, as the name suggests, are considerably fatter than Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), the disks. SuperÐcially, they appear to share many proper- under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. ties with small elliptical galaxies: The relatively few and 2 Visiting Astronomer, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Baltimore MD 21218. typically rather massive disk-embedded spheroids that have 3 Visiting Astronomer, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore been studied in detail show an R1@4 radial light proÐle, rela- MD 21218. tively old and metal-enriched stellar populations, and are 216 HST OPTICAL-NIR COLORS OF R1@4 217 rotationally supported systems (Wyse et al. 1997 and refer- spheroids, we performed a Hubble Space Telescope (HST ) ences therein). Despite the temptation of historical inertia, snapshot survey of B80 spiral galaxies randomly selected clearly wanting us to restrict the use of the name ““ bulge ÏÏ to from a complete sample of 134 targets. The central regions this somewhat well-deÐned class of stellar systems only, it is, of the selected objects were imaged in the visual (with however, unwise, in the quest for clarifying the origin of WFPC2 and the F606W Ðlter) and in the near-infrared these fundamental components of galaxies that are one (NIR; with NICMOS and mostly the F160W and Hubble time old to ignore that di†erent kinds of stellar occasionally the F110W Ðlter). The observations and the structures are also often found in the centers of the local data reduction are fully described in a series of papers, universe disks (Wyse et al. 1997). separately for the WFPC2 survey (Carollo et al. 1997; SigniÐcant di†erences between the ““ bulges ÏÏ of Carollo & Stiavelli 1998; Carollo, Stiavelli, & Mack 1998; intermediate- to late-type disks and the more massive Carollo 1999) and the NICMOS survey (Carollo et al. 2000, spheroids have in fact been found. Several studies have hereafter Paper I; Seigar et al. 2000, in preparation, here- revealed ““ pseudobulges ÏÏ with, e.g., cold kinematics after Paper II). The high angular resolution of the HST (Kormendy 1993), a peanut-shaped morphology associated data allowed us to mask out from several of the images with barlike kinematics (e.g., Kuijken & MerriÐeld 1995; patches of dust and knots of star formation and thus derive Bureau & Freeman 1999), or an exponentialÈrather than for those targets ““ clean ÏÏ isophotal models for the under- an R1@4Èfallo† of the light distribution (hereafter exponen- lying galactic light. Two-component ““ bulge plus disk ÏÏ ana- tial bulges; e.g., Kormendy & Bruzual 1978; Shaw & lytical Ðts were applied to the radial light proÐles thus Gilmore 1989; Courteau, de Jong, & Broeils 1996 and refer- derived. Echoing previous voices, we considered as a ences therein). ““ bulge ÏÏ that distinct central structure which ““ contains all The pseudobulges also appear as clearly distinct struc- the light in excess of the inward extrapolation of a constant tures from the disks and replace the ““ classical ÏÏ bulges in scale length exponential disk ÏÏ (Wyse et al. 1997; Gilmore disks that, at least superÐcially, look rather similar to others 1999). Within this more general deÐnition of bulge, we that host instead the canonical R1@4 structures. It is unclear found that the bulge light proÐle was typically best modeled how these strange central structures relate to their R1@4 with an R1@4 law in the early-type disks and with an expo- relatives. However, the fact that they ““ substitute for ÏÏ the nential law in the later types, in agreement with previous R1@4 bulges in otherwise normal intermediate-type disks studies (e.g., Courteau et al. 1996). provides an argument for including them in any thorough In this paper we combine the NIR measurements present- exploration that is aimed at clarifying the origin and evolu- ed in Paper I and Paper II with the WFPC2 measurements tion of the spheroidal components of the local disk galaxies. so as to investigate the optical-NIR colors of the exponen- These pseudobulges may lead us to understand by compari- tial versus R1@4-law bulges found in our HST survey, as well son which are the required circumstances for forming a as the colors of the photometrically distinct nuclei that we dense elliptical-like spheroid (failing which, only a pseudo- found embedded in the isophotal centers of all the exponen- bulge is formed), or may indicate the occurrence of funda- tial bulges. The objects included in this study are listed in mental changes with cosmic time in the evolutionary paths Table 1, together with the information on whether they of galaxies, or may turn out to be consistent with being have an R1@4-law or an exponential bulge, on the V [H evolutionarily related to the ““ classical ÏÏ bulges for which we color for the host bulges, and on the V [H color for the seek the origin and progenitors. embedded nuclei. The intrinsic dust-age-metallicity degen- In order to help clarify the origin of the structural diver- eracy of broadband colors for intermediate-to-old age sity between the largest and the smallest disk-embedded stellar populations is a well-known problem. Nonetheless, TABLE 1 SAMPLE OF EXPONENTIAL (left) AND R1@4-LAW (right)BULGES INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY EXPONENTIAL R1@4 MV MV [ [ [ [ Name (Bulge) (V H)Bulge (V H)Nucleus (J H)Nucleus Name (Bulge) (V H)Bulge ESO 240-G12 .....
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