1.65 μm (H-band) surface photometry of galaxies. V. Profile decomposition of 1157 galaxies

We present near-infrared H-band (1.65 μm) surface brightness profile decomposition for 1157 galaxies in five nearby clusters of galaxies: Coma, A1367, Virgo, A262 and Cancer, and in the bridge between Coma and A1367 in the ``Great Wall". The optically selected (m_pg≤ 16.0) sample is representative of all Hubble types, from E to Irr+BCD, except dE and of significantly different environments, spanning from isolated regions to rich clusters of galaxies. We model the surface brightness profiles with a de Vaucouleurs r^1/4 law (dV), with an exponential disk law (E), or with a combination of the two (B+D). From the fitted quantities we derive the H band effective surface brightness (μe) and radius (r_e) of each component, the asymptotic magnitude H_T and the light concentration index C₃₁. We find that: i) Less than 50% of the Elliptical galaxies have pure dV profiles. The majority of E to Sb galaxies is best represented by a B+D profile. All Scd to BCD galaxies have pure exponential profiles. ii) The type of decomposition is a strong function of the total H band luminosity (mass), independent of the Hubble classification: the fraction of pure exponential decompositions decreases with increasing luminosity, that of B+D increases with luminosity. Pure dV profiles are absent in the low luminosity range L_H<10¹⁰ L_\odot and become dominant above 10¹¹ L_\odot . Based on observations taken at TIRGO, Gornergrat, Switzerland (operated by CAISMI-CNR, Arcetri, Firenze, Italy) and at the Calar Alto Observatory (operated by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (Heidelberg) jointly with the Spanish National Commission for Astronomy). Table 2 and Figs. 2, 3, 4 are available in their entirety only in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html