We exploit the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) — the deepest infrared (IR) insight available for nearby galaxies at 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm — to determine the stellar mass content of bars based on a sample of ~350 massive barred galaxies. Our results point to bars encompassing from a few percent to 30% of the galaxy’s total stellar mass, with a typical value of 7%, where bars appear to englobe a greater proportion of the total stellar mass of the host in more massive galaxies and in galaxies with more prominent bulges. We also take a multi-band look at bar properties (length and strength, characterized via ellipticity) and show that bars appear thinner and longer at bluer bands. These results are pioneering in providing a reference for band-shifting corrections in order to reliably gauge any intrinsic redshift evolution of bar properties beyond z∼0.8. This opens the door for current and future studies to exploit current high-resolution imaging surveys and extend detailed morphological and mass studies of bars out to the high-z universe.

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