The complexity of Scott sentences of scattered linear orders

Given a countable scattered linear order $L$ of Hausdorff rank $alpha < omega_1$ we show that it has a $dtext{-}Sigma_{2alpha+1}$ Scott sentence. Ash calculated the back and forth relations for all countable well-orders. From this result we obtain that this upper bound is tight, i.e., for every $alpha < omega_1$ there is a linear order whose optimal Scott sentence has this complexity. We further show that for all countable $alpha$ the class of Hausdorff rank $alpha$ linear orders is $pmb Sigma_{2alpha+2}$ complete.