Grand Design and Flocculent Spirals in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar
  Structure in Galaxies (S4G)
  Spiral arm properties of 46 galaxies in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar
Structure in Galaxies (S4G) were measured at 3.6mu, where extinction is small
and the old stars dominate. The sample includes flocculent, multiple arm, and
grand design types with a wide range of Hubble and bar types. We find that most
optically flocculent galaxies are also flocculent in the mid-IR because of star
formation uncorrelated with stellar density waves, whereas multiple arm and
grand design galaxies have underlying stellar waves. Arm-interarm contrasts
increase from flocculent to multiple arm to grand design galaxies and with
later Hubble types. Structure can be traced further out in the disk than in
previous surveys. Some spirals peak at mid-radius while others continuously
rise or fall, depending on Hubble and bar type. We find evidence for regular
and symmetric modulations of the arm strength in NGC 4321. Bars tend to be
long, high amplitude, and flat-profiled in early type spirals, with arm
contrasts that decrease with radius beyond the end of the bar, and they tend to
be short, low amplitude, and exponential-profiled in late Hubble types, with
arm contrasts that are constant or increase with radius. Longer bars tend to
have larger amplitudes and stronger arms.
