Kiloparsec scale structure in the hotspots of 3C 196

The powerful extragalactic radio source 3C 196 has been observed using MERLIN at 5 GHz with an angular resolution of 85 milliarcsec. There is complex structure present in each of the two bright hotspots on scales of <1-10 kpc. These data are combined with those from previously published maps of the source to give spectral index distributions and to locate the position of the radio core component relative to the MERLIN map. The rotational symmetry of the radio structure is interpreted within the framework of both dynamic and static models which are constrained by the data in different ways. (author)