aObservatoire de Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
bInstitut d’Astrophysique de Paris, UMR 7095 du CNRS, 75014 Paris, France
Abstract:
Outer radius variations play an important role in the disc structure and evolution. We consider theoretical and observational consequences of such variations in cataclysmic binaries and low-mass X-ray binaries. We find that the action of tidal torques must be important well inside the tidal radius. We also conclude that it is doubtful that the tidal–thermal instability is responsible for the superoutburst/superhump phenomena.