%0 Journal Article
%T Nuclear Brightness Profiles of Merger Remnants: Constraints on the Formation of Ellipticals by Mergers
%A R. P. van der Marel
%A D. Zurek
%J Physics
%D 1999
%I arXiv
%X We present preliminary results of an HST/NICMOS program to image merger remnants in the J, H and K bands. The nuclear brightness profiles for most sample galaxies are similar to those typical for elliptical galaxies, but some (including the well-studied NGC 3921 and 7252) have an unusually high luminosity density at small radii. This is consistent with the prediction of N-body simulations that gas flows to the center during a merger and forms new stars.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9910275v1