Near-infrared imaging of the host galaxies of three radio-loud quasars at z similar to 1.5

We present high spatial resolution near-infrared H-band (1.65 mum) images, taken with ISAAC on UT1 of the ESO Very Large Telescope, of three radio-lou d quasars at z similar to 1.5, as a pilot study for imaging of a larger sam ple of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars in the redshift range 1 < z < 2. We are able to clearly detect the host galaxy in two quasars (PKS 0000-177 and PKS 0348-120) and marginally in the third (PKS 0402-362). The host gala xies appear compact (average bulge scale length R(e) similar to 4 kpc) and luminous [average M-H = -27.6 +/- 0.1]. They are similar to2.5 mag more lum inous than the typical galaxy luminosity and are comparable to the hosts of low-redshift radio-loud quasars [M-H similar to -26], taking into account passive stellar evolution. Their luminosities are also similar to those of high-redshift radio galaxies. All three quasars have at least one close com panion galaxy at a projected distance less than 50 kpc from the quasar, ass uming they are at the same redshift.