Photometric Properties of Six Local Volume Dwarf Galaxies from Deep
  Near-Infrared Observations
  We have obtained deep near-infrared $J$- (1.25 $\mu$m), $H$- (1.65$ \mu$m)
and $K_s$-band (2.15 $\mu$m) imaging for a sample of six dwarf galaxies
($M_B\ga-17$ mag) in the Local Volume (LV, $D\la10$ Mpc). The sample consists
mainly of early-type dwarf galaxies found in various environments in the LV.
Two galaxies (LEDA 166099 and UGCA 200) in the sample are detected in the
near-infrared for the first time. The deep near-infrared images allow for a
detailed study of the photometric and structural properties of each galaxy. The
surface brightness profiles of the galaxies are detected down to the ~$24 mag
arcsec^{-2}$ isophote in the $J$- and $H$-bands, and $23 mag arcsec^{-2}$ in
the $K_s$-band. The total magnitudes of the galaxies are derived in the three
wavelength bands. For the brightest galaxies ($M_B\la-15.5$ mag) in the sample,
we find that the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) underestimates the total
magnitudes of these systems by up to $\la0.5$ mag. The radial surface
brightness profiles of the galaxies are fitted with an exponential (for those
galaxies having a stellar disk) or S\'ersic law to derive the structure of the
underlying stellar component. In particular, the effective surface brightness
($\mu_e$) and effective radius ($r_e$) are determined from the analytic fits to
the surface brightness profile. The $J$-$K_s$ colours for the galaxies have
been measured to explore the luminosity-metallicity relation for early-type
dwarfs. In addition, the $B$-$K_s$ colours of the galaxies are used to assess
their evolutionary state relative to other galaxy morphologies. The total
stellar masses of the dwarf galaxies are derived from the $H$-band photometric
measurements. These will later be compared to the dynamical mass estimates for
the galaxies to determine their dark matter content.
