K-band luminosity function from 2MASX

The LF for late-type spirals follows a power law that rises toward low luminosities whereas the LFs for ellipticals, lenticulars, and bulge-dominated spirals are peaked and decline toward both higher and lower luminosities. Each morphological type (E, S0, S0/a-Sab, Sb-Sbc, Sc-Scd) contributes approximately equally to the overall Ks-band luminosity density of galaxies in the local universe.

Type averaged bulge/disk ratios are used to subtract the disk component leading to the prediction that the Ks-band LF for bulges is bimodal with ellipticals dominating the high luminosity peak, comprising 60% of the bulge luminosity density in the local universe with the remaining 40% contributed by lenticulars and the bulges of spirals. Overall, bulges contribute 30% of the galaxy luminosity density at Ks in the local universe with spiral disks making up the remainder.