Radio sources in Zwicky clusters of galaxies. II - Detailed interferometer observations and analysis

Interferometer observations of a sample of 23 4C sources that spatially coincide with Zwicky clusters of galaxies are reported. These sources are used to examine the nature of extended radio emission from galaxies in poor clusters. The majority of these radio sources exhibit some signs of morphological distortion (i.e., head-tail structure), which is indicative of dynamic interaction with a relatively dense intracluster gas. The properties of the Zwicky cluster sources are compared with a similar radio survey of rich Abell clusters. The results suggest that the environments around radio galaxies (i.e., density and temperature of the intracluster gas) are similar in rich and poor clusters. The relative numbers of Abell and non-Abell/Zwicky cluster sources further indicate that most (60-100%) of the total population of intermediate-luminosity radio galaxies may be in clusters of various richnesses. A nonrigorous analysis of existing data on nearby radio galaxies suggests that most radio galaxies, including those in this sample, are in superclusters of galaxies; the implications of this result are briefly discussed.