Scorpius X-1: an Evolving Double Radio Source

The radio emission from Sco X-1 has been monitored with the VLA over a 5 yr period with 0.4 arcsec resolution at 4.85 GHz. The source contains three components: an unresolved radio core coincident with the stellar binary system; an unresolved lobe northeast of the core; and an extended lobe southwest of the core. All radio components are approximately comoving with the binary system and are thus undoubtedly associated with it. The northeast lobe is moving away from the core at a rate of 0.013-0.017 arcsec/yr, which corresponds to a velocity of 31-41 km/sec, assuming a distance of 500 pc to Sco X-1. The relative velocity of a hot spot in the southwest lobe with respect to the core is less than 70 km/sec. The flux density in the lobes appears to vary by about 20 percent over time scales of 1 yr, and the variations between the lobes may be correlated. The twin-exhaust beam model where energy is transported from the core to the lobes in narrow beams is the most acceptable model for the evolution of the source. However, interstellar density (greater than 0.6/cu cm) is needed to restrain the velocity of the northeast lobe (presumably the working surface of the beam).