High resolution near-infrared imaging of submillimeter galaxies

We have obtained high-resolution F110W (~ J) and F160W (~ H) band observations of ten submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) with the Hubble Space Telescope's NICMOS camera, in order to resolve their rest-frame optical morphologies, determine the existence of multiple-component, merger-like configurations, and estimate their stellar masses. The selected targets have redshifts in the range 2.2<= z <= 2.81 confirmed with millimeter or mid-IR spectroscopy, guaranteeing that the two bands sample the galaxies' rest-frame optical light with the Balmer break falling between them.