Exploring high-z galaxies with the E-ELT
  In this paper we present simulated observations of galaxies at z=2 and z=3 to
probe the capabilities of next-generation telescopes (E-ELT and JWST) to
measure the structural and photometrical properties of high redshift galaxies.
We carry out an extensive set of simulations of high redshift galaxies adopting
the specifications of the E-ELT first light instrument MICADO. The main
parameters (sizes, Sersic index, magnitudes) of the galaxies are measured using
GALFIT and the accuracy of the determinations is assessed by comparing the
input values to the measurements from many runs with different statistical
noise. We also address the effects on the measurements accuracy of possible
spatial variation of the PSF in the field. We find that from 3h exposure E-ELT
near-IR images of galaxies at z=2 and z=3 it will be possible to measure the
size, the total magnitude and the galaxy morphology with an accuracy of 5% for
objects as faint as H=25 and half light size of 0.2 arcsec. The effective
radius of compact, early type galaxies will also be recovered with 5% accuracy,
provided that their half light size exceeds 20 mas. These results are compared
with those expected from simulated observations obtained with NIRCam on board
of the JWST.
