Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 October 2020
We calculate the complexity of Scott sentences of scattered linear orders. Given a countable scattered linear order L of Hausdorff rank $\alpha $ we show that it has a
${d\text {-}\Sigma _{2\alpha +1}}$ Scott sentence. It follows from results of Ash [2] that for every countable
$\alpha $ there is a linear order whose optimal Scott sentence has this complexity. Therefore, our bounds are tight. We furthermore show that every Hausdorff rank 1 linear order has an optimal
${\Pi ^{\mathrm {c}}_{3}}$ or
${d\text {-}\Sigma ^{\mathrm {c}}_{3}}$ Scott sentence and give a characterization of those linear orders of rank
$1$ with
${\Pi ^{\mathrm {c}}_{3}}$ optimal Scott sentences. At last we show that for all countable
$\alpha $ the class of Hausdorff rank
$\alpha $ linear orders is
$\boldsymbol {\Sigma }_{2\alpha +2}$ complete and obtain analogous results for index sets of computable linear orders.