We present a study of the spatial and color distributions of four early-type galaxies and their globular cluster ( GC ) systems observed as part of our ongoing wide-field imaging survey .
We use BVR KPNO-4m+MOSAIC imaging data to characterize the galaxies ’ GC populations , perform surface photometry of the galaxies , and compare the projected two-dimensional shape of the host galaxy light to that of the GC population .
The GC systems of the ellipticals NGC 4406 and NGC 5813 both show an elliptical distribution consistent with that of the host galaxy light .
Our analysis suggests a similar result for the giant elliptical NGC 4472 , but a smaller GC candidate sample precludes a definite conclusion .
For the S0 galaxy NGC 4594 , the GCs have a circular projected distribution , in contrast to the host galaxy light which is flattened in the inner regions .
For NGC 4406 and NGC 5813 we also examine the projected shapes of the metal-poor and metal-rich GC subpopulations and find that both subpopulations have elliptical shapes that are consistent with those of the host galaxy light .
Lastly , we use integrated colors and color profiles to compare the stellar populations of the galaxies to their GC systems . For each galaxy , we explore the possibility of color gradients in the individual metal-rich and metal-poor GC subpopulations .
We find statistically significant color gradients in both GC subpopulations of NGC 4594 over the inner \sim 5 effective radii ( \sim 20 kpc ) . We compare our results to scenarios for the formation and evolution of giant galaxies and their GC systems .