0120284

Scorpius X-1 is the archetypal neutron star binary as the brightest X-ray binary and with an extremely well-determined distance it offers a unique opportunity to quantitatively study the magnitude and spectrum of accretion-powered emission processes. As well as thermal optical UV and soft X-ray emission originating in the viscous dissipation of gravitational potential energy strongly non-thermal processes requiring a large fraction of the accretion power budget are evident in radio and hard X-ray bands. Observations in these two bands reveal the most energetic processes in such systems diagnosing both the innermost accretion flow which is well within the strong-field gravity region near the neutron star and the relativistic outflows (the radio jets). Recent work has revealed a strong link between these two relativistic regimes but the nature of this link is as yet unclear. Also in recent work our most fundamental asumptions about the energetics of the accretion/ejection processes have been called into question. We will use INTEGRAL together with ground-based facilities to study these and related issues. By imaging the radio structure of Scorpius X-1 (core-jet and lobe impact sites) with intercontinental VLBI simultaneously with INTEGRAL observations we can directly determine the relation between hard X-ray excess and jet in this system. By combining INTEGRALs wide band with optical/IR and radio we will obtain a unique coverage of the electromagnetic as well as mechanical energy losses from the system. [truncated! Please see actual data for full text]