Spiral Galaxies with HST/NICMOS. II. Isophotal Fits and Nuclear Cusp Slopes

Abstract

We present surface brightness profiles for 56 of the 78 spiral galaxies observed in the HST/{\tt NICMOS/Camera-2} F160W snapshot survey introduced in Carollo et al. (2001; paper I), as well as surface brightness profiles for 23 objects out of the 41 that were also observed in the F110W filter. We fit these surface brightness profiles with the Nuker law of Lauer et al. (1995), and use the smooth analytical descriptions of the data to compute the average nuclear stellar cusp slopes $<γ>$ in the 0.1$''-0.5''$ radial range. Our main result is the startling similarity between the nuclear stellar cusp slopes $<γ>$ in the near-infared compared to those derived in the visual passband. This similarity has several implications: (1.) There are typically little or no optical-NIR {\it global} color gradients, and thus no global stellar population variations, inside $\sim 50$-100 pc from the nucleus in nearby spirals. (2.) The large observed range of the strength of the nuclear stellar cusps seen in the HST optical study of spiral galaxies reflects a physical difference between galaxies, and is not an artifact caused by nuclear dust and/or recent star formation. (3.) The dichotomy between $R^{1/4}$ bulges, with steep nuclear stellar cusps $<γ> \sim 1$, and exponential bulges, with shallow nuclear stellar cusps $<γ> < 0.3$, is also not an artifact of the effects of dust or recent star formation. (4) A surrounding massive disk appears to have no effect on the rise of the stellar density distribution within the innermost hundred pc of the