VLA imaging of fanaroff-riley II 3CR radio galaxies. II. Eight new images and comparisons with 3CR quasars

We report the results of VLA observations of eight classical double radio galaxies (RGs). Paper I (Fernini et al. 1993, AJ, 105, 1690) presented images and preliminary analysis for five other RGs. We now have a statistically complete sample of RGs with which we can compare to a similarly imaged sample of quasars (QSRs) from Bridle et al. (1994, AJ, 108, 766). A radio jet is seen only in one RG, 3C 441. Combined with the results of Paper I, the jet detection rate stands at only two, one of which was recently shown to have a broad Hα line, and no counterjet detection. Our low jet detection rate for RGs contrasts strongly with the 100% jet detection and the 50% candidate counterjet detection in the QSRs. We have detected compact central features in ten RGs, eight for the first time. We found that the QSRs have much stronger compact central features than the RGs, a result consistent with previous observations. The median of the ratio of the compact central feature to extended flux densities is 0.7% and 4% for the RGs and the QSRs, respectively. The QSR hot spots are slightly more compact than the RG hot spots. We discuss the implications of these results in the light of the RG/QSR unification scheme of Barthel (1989, ApJ, 336, 606).