1.65 mu m (H-band) surface photometry of galaxies - VII. Dwarf galaxies in the Virgo Cluster

We present near-infrared H-band (1.65 mum) observations and surface brightness profile decompositions for 75 faint (13.5 less than or similar to m(p) less than or similar to 18.5) galaxies, primarily taken among dwarf Ellipticals members of the Virgo cluster, with some Centaurus Cluster members, a BCD and two peculiar galaxies taken as fillers. We model their surface brightness profiles with a de Vaucouleurs (D), exponential (E), mixed (bulge+disk or M) or truncated (T) law, and we derive for each galaxy the H band effective surface brightness (mu (e)) and effective radius (re), the asymptotic total magnitude H-T and the light concentration index C-31, defined as the ratio between the radii that enclose 75% and 25% of the total light HT. For a subsample we compare the NIR surface photometry with similar data taken in the B and V bands, and we give the B H and B V color profiles. Combining the present data with those previously obtained by our group (1157 objects) we analyze the NIR properties of a nearly complete sample, representative of galaxies of all morphological types, spanning 4 decades in luminosity. We confirm our earlier claim that the presence of cusps and extended haloes in the light profiles (C-31 > 5) is a strong, non-linear function of the total luminosity. We also find that: i) among dE and dS0 galaxies D profiles are absent; 50% of the decompositions are of type M, the remaining being of type E or T. ii) Less than 50% of the giant elliptical galaxies have pure D profiles, the majority being represented by M profiles. iii) Most giant galaxies (from elliptical to Sb) have M profiles. iv) Most of late type spirals (Scd to BCD) have either E or T profiles. v) The type of decomposition is a strong function of the total H band luminosity, independent of the Hubble classification: the fraction of type E decompositions decreases with increasing luminosity, while those of type M increase with luminosity. Pure D profiles are absent in the low luminosity range L-H < 10(10) L- and become dominant above 10(11) L-circle dot, while T profiles are present only among low luminosity galaxies. vi) We find that dE-peculiar galaxies have structural parameters indistinguishable from those of late-type dwarfs, thus they might represent the missing link between dEs and dIs.