Evolution of distant galaxies from cluster photometry: a program for a 50-m ELT

Summary, in English

The formation, shaping and evolution of galaxies are processes of high interest but poorly known. This is true also for our closest galactic neighbours. Of key importance is a representative sample of all major types of galaxies with solid evolutionary parameters. Stellar clusters are excellent probes of galactic evolution, albeit so far useful at smaller distances only, mainly due to the limiting effects of image crowding. With extremely large telescopes (ELTs) with full adaptive optics (AO) and near diffraction limited performance, the effects of image crowding will be drastically reduced. Thus, the excellence of clusters of stars as evolutionary probes can be extended out to cosmological distances. We have studied this extension. With data on the Str