Near-infrared and optical broadband surface photometry of 86 face-on disk dominated galaxies. IV. Using color profiles to study stellar and dust content of galaxies

TL;DR

This study uses broadband surface photometry and modeling to analyze the stellar and dust content of 86 face-on spiral galaxies, revealing that color gradients are mainly due to stellar age and metallicity variations, with dust playing a minor role.

Contribution

It introduces a combined analysis of optical and near-infrared data with radiative transfer and stellar synthesis models to explain color gradients in spiral galaxies.

Findings

Color correlates with surface brightness, with lower brightness regions being bluer.

Color gradients are primarily due to stellar age and metallicity gradients, not dust reddening.

Near-infrared bands are recommended for stable M/L ratios in galaxy studies.

Abstract

The stellar and dust content of spiral galaxies as function of radius has been investigated using near-infrared and optical broadband surface photometry of 86 face-on spiral galaxies. Colors of galaxies correlate with the azimuthally averaged local surface brightness both within and among galaxies, with the lower surface brightness regions being bluer. The colors formed from different passband combinations correlate strongly indicating that they probably arise from the same physical process. A 3D radiative transfer model was developed to calculate the effect of dust absorption and scattering on the luminosity and color profiles of galaxies. Stellar synthesis models were used to investigate the effects of the star formation history and the metallicity on the broadband color profiles. Combining all optical and near-infrared data shows that the color gradients in this sample of face-on galaxies are best explained by a combined stellar age and metallicity gradient across the disk, with the outer regions being on average younger and of lower metallicity. Dust reddening probably plays only a minor role, as the dust models cannot produce reddening profiles that are compatible with the observations. The observed color differences implicate substantial M/L_lambda differences, both within galaxies and among galaxies. The variations are such that the ``missing light'' problem derived from rotation fitting becomes even worse. Late-type galaxies (T>=6) have lower metallicities and are often of younger average age than earlier types and have therefore an entirely different M/L_\lambda in most passbands. The near-infrared passbands are recommended for studies where the M/L_\lambda ratios should not vary too much.