R light-curve of TT Ari

The quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) are present with a mean "period" of 21.6min and mean semi-amplitude of 36mmag.This value is consistent with the range 15-25min reported for previous "negative superhump" states and does not support the hypothesis of secular decrease in the QPO period. Either the period, or the semi-amplitude show significant night-to-night variations. According to the position at the two-parameter diagrams (i.e. diagrams of pairs of parameters: time, mean brightness of the system, brightness of the source of QPO, amplitude, and timescale of the QPOs), the interval of observations was divided into 5 parts, showing different characteristics: 1) the "pre-outburst" stage, 2) the "rise to outburst", 3) "top of the outbursts", 4) "post- outburst QPO" state, and 5) "slow brightening".

The the QPO source was significantly brighter during the 10-day outburst, than during the preceding interval. However, after the outburst, the large brightness of the QPO source still existed for about 30 days, producing the stage "4". The diagram for m_QPO_({bar}{m}) exhibits two groups in the brightness range 10.6-10.8, which correspond to larger and smaller amplitudes of the QPO.

For the group "5" only, statistically significant correlations were found, for which, with increasing mean brightness, the period, amplitude, and brightness of the of QPO source also increase. The mean brightness at the "negative superhump state" varies within 10.3-11.2, so the system is brighter than at the "positive superhump" (11.3), therefore the "negative superhump" phenomenon may be interpreted by a larger accretion rate.

The system is an excellent laboratory for studying processes resulting in variations on timescales of between seconds and decades and needs further monitoring at various states of activity.