THE COMPACT SPIRAL-LIKE RADIO STRUCTURE OF THE QUASAR 3C 119

The compact steep spectrum radio source, 3C 119, has been mapped at 18 cm with a resolution of 5 mas using a 10-station global VLBI network combined with MERLIN. The resulting high dynamic range image reveals a complex spiral-like structure in which a number of components are embedded. The overall physical extent of the source is approximately 300 pc. These new observations demonstrate that the structure is even more complex than had been derived earlier by Fanti et al. (1986). The physical conditions in the source are re-evaluated, and the radio structure is briefly discussed in terms of three models: non-relativistic and relativistic precessing jets, and a jet deflected by the walls of a cavity in the interstellar medium.