Observed properties of FRII quasars and radio galaxies at z < 1.0

In a long-term observing project we have imaged a complete sample of Fanaroff-Riley II (FRII) quasars and radio galaxies with z < 1.0 at high resolution and high sensitivity with the Very Large Array (VLA) and Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer (MERLIN). This sample of 98 sources includes 15 quasars, 11 broad-line radio galaxies and 57 narrow-line radio galaxies, allowing unification to be considered in terms of source morphological properties. Radio maps of all the targets have been presented in earlier papers. Here we carry out a systematic analysis of the properties of the jets, cores, lobes and hotspots of objects in the sample. The majority of the tests that we perform show that the data are consistent with a model in which quasars and broad-line radio galaxies are unified with narrow-line objects. Relativistic beaming is the main effect that determines the properties of kiloparsec-scale jets, and it may also have some effect on hotspots. However, some properties of the sample are difficult to account for in simple unified models.