HUBBLE-SPACE-TELESCOPE IMAGING OF COMPACT STEEP-SPECTRUM RADIO-SOURCES

We present Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 images taken through a broad r ed filter (F702W) of 30 Third Cambridge Catalog compact steep spectrum (CSS) radio sources. We have overlaid radio maps taken from the liter ature on the optical images to determine the radio-optical alignment a nd to study detailed correspondence. All CSS sources for which the rel ative orientation between the optical and radio can be measured displa y good alignment between the optical and radio emission down to the lo west redshift in the sample, z similar to 0.1. The alignment effect do es not occur at this relatively low redshift for the large-scale 3CR r adio sources, which tend to show a significant alignment only at z > 0 .6, as shown by McCarthy et al., Chambers et al., and de Koff et al. W e find candidates for optical synchrotron hot spots in 3C 213.1 and 3C 380 and an optical jet in 3C 346.