Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series

Free access article

Issue		Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. Volume 118, Number 3, September 1996
Page(s)		461 - 479
DOI		10.1051/aas:1996212

Disc galaxies with multiple triaxial structures. II. JHK surface photometry and numerical simulations DOI: 10.1051/aas:1996212

Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, Vol. 118, September 1996, 461-479

Disc galaxies with multiple triaxial structures. II. JHK surface photometry and numerical simulations

D. Friedli , H. Wozniak , M. Rieke , L. Martinet and P. Bratschi

Send offprint requests to: D. Friedli, daniel.Friedli@obs.unige.ch

Observatoire de Genève, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland
Observatoire de Marseille, F-13248 Marseille Cedex 4, France
Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ 85721, U.S.A.

Received October 16, 1995; accepted February 2, 1996

Abstract:

We present detailed JHK surface photometry with ellipse fits of 13 galaxies selected from previous optical observations as likely candidates for having a secondary bar or a triaxial bulge within the primary bar. We have found 7 double-barred galaxies, 3 double-barred galaxies with an additional intermediate structure with twisted isophotes, and 3 galaxies with a bar and central twisted isophotes. A global analysis of the structural parameter characteristics in the I- and K-bands is presented. Various numerical models of galaxies with bars within bars are also analysed using the ellipse fitting technique and compared to the observations. A thorough review of the possible hypotheses able to explain this phenomenon is given with emphasis on the most likely ones.

Key words: galaxies: photometry --- galaxies: structure --- galaxies: fundamental parameters --- galaxies: nuclei --- galaxies: evolution

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