Sco X-1 revisited with Kepler, MAXI and HERMES: outflows, time-lags and echoes unveiled

Sco X-1 has been the subject of many multiwavelength studies in the past, being the brightest persistent extrasolar X-ray source ever observed. Here, we revisit Sco X-1 with simultaneous short cadence Kepler optical photometry and Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image X-ray photometry over a 78 d period, as well as optical spectroscopy obtained with High Efficiency and Resolution Mercator Echelle Spectrograph (HERMES). We find Sco X-1 to be highly variable in all our data sets. The optical fluxes are clearly bimodal, implying the system can be found in two distinct optical states. These states are generally associated with the known flaring/normal branch X-ray states, although the flux distributions associated with these states overlap. Furthermore, we find that the optical power spectrum of Sco X-1 differs substantially between optical luminosity states. Additionally we find rms-flux relations in both optical states, but only find a linear relation during periods of low optical luminosity.