DIRBE minus 2MASS: Confirming the cosmic infrared background at 2.2 microns

Stellar fluxes from the Two Micron All Sky Survey catalog are used to remov e the contribution owing to Galactic stars from the intensity measured by t he Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment in four regions in the north and south Galactic polar caps. After subtracting the interplanetary and Galacti c foregrounds, a consistent residual intensity of 14.8 +/- 4.6 kJy sr(-1) o r 20.2 +/- 6.3 nW m(-2) sr(-1) at 2.2 mum is found. At 1.25 mum the residua ls show more scatter and are a much smaller fraction of the foreground, lea ding to a weak limit on the cosmic infrared background of 12.0 +/- 6.8 kJy sr(-1) or 28.9 +/- 16.3 nW m(-2) sr(-1) (1 sigma).