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Continuing the project described by Kato et al. (2009, PASJ, 61, S395), we collected times of superhump maxima for 127 SU UMa-type dwarf novae observed mainly during the 2016-2017 season and characterized these objects. We provide updated statistics of the relation between the orbital period and the variation of superhumps, the relation between period variations and the rebrightening type in WZ Sge-type objects. We obtained the period minimum of 0.05290(2) d and confirmed the presence of the period gap above the orbital period ∼0.09 d.We note that four objects (NY Her, 1RXS J161659.5+620014, CRTS J033349.8-282244, and SDSS J153015.04+094946.3) have supercycles shorter than 100 d but show infrequent normal outbursts.We consider that these objects are similar to V503 Cyg, whose normal outbursts are likely suppressed by a disk tilt. These four objects are excellent candidates to search for negative superhumps. DDE 48 appears to be a member of ER UMa-type dwarf novae.We identified a new eclipsing SU UMa-type object, MASTER OT J220559.40-341434.9. We observed 21 WZ Sge-type dwarf novae during this interval and report 18 of them in this paper. Among them, ASASSN-16js is a good candidate for a period bouncer. ASASSN-16ia showed a precursor outburst for the first time in aWZ Sge-type superoutburst. ASASSN-16kg, CRTS J000130.5+050624, and SDSS J113551.09+532246.2 are located in the period gap. We have newly obtained 15 orbital periods, including periods from early superhumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first days of WZ Sge-type dwarf nova (DN) outbursts, the 2 : 1 resonance induces a spiral arm structure in the accretion disk, which is observed as early superhumps in optical light curves. We reports on our optical observations of an eclipsing WZ Sge-type DN PNV J00444033+4113068 during its 2021 superoutburst using the 3.8 m Seimei telescope and through the Variable Star Network collaboration. The eclipse analysis showed that its orbital period was 0.055425534(1) d. Our observations confirmed early superhumps with an amplitude of 0.7 mag, the largest amplitude among known WZ Sge-type DNe. More interestingly, its early superhumps became the reddest around their secondary minimum, whereas other WZ Sge-type DNe show the reddest color around the early superhump maximum. The spectrum around the peak of the outburst showed two double-peaked emission lines of He  ii  4686 Å and Hα with a peak separation of ≥700 km s−1, supporting a very high-inclination system. With the early superhump mapping, the unique profile and color of the early superhump are successfully reproduced by an accretion disk with a vertically extended double arm structure. Therefore, a large amplitude and a unique color behavior of the early superhumps in PNV J00444033+4113068 can be explained by the 2 : 1 resonance model along with other WZ Sge-type DNe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present optical photometry of superoutbursts that occurred in 2016 of two WZ Sge-type dwarf novae (DNe), ASASSN-16dt and ASASSN-16hg. Their light curves showed a dip in brightness between the first plateau stage with no ordinary superhumps (or early superhumps) and the second plateau stage with ordinary superhumps. We find that the dip is produced by the slow evolution of the 3 : 1 resonance tidal instability and that it would likely be observed in low mass-ratio objects. An estimated mass ratio (q ≡ M2/M1) from the period of developing (stage A) superhumps [0.06420(3) d] was 0.036(2) in ASASSN-16dt. Additionally, its superoutburst has many properties similar to those in other low-q WZ Sge-type DNe: long-lasting stage-A superhumps, small superhump amplitudes, long delay of ordinary-superhump appearances, and a slow decline rate in the plateau stage with superhumps. Its very small mass ratio and observational characteristics suggest that this system is one of the best candidates for a period bouncer--a binary accounting for the missing population of post-period minimum cataclysmic variables. Although it is not clearly verified due to the lack of detection of stage-A superhumps, ASASSN-16hg might be a possible candidate for period bouncers on the basis of the morphology of its light curves and the small superhump amplitudes. Many outburst properties of period bouncer candidates would originate from the small tidal effects of their secondary stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015 and 2017, the AM CVn candidate NSV 1440 showed superoutbursts that had the characteristic features of WZ Sge-type dwarf novae (DNe). By analogy with hydrogen-rich cataclysmic variables (CVs), we can interpret these outbursts as "double superoutbursts" which are composed of a first superoutburst with early superhumps and a second superoutburst with ordinary superhumps. The object also showed multiple rebrightenings after the main superoutbursts. Early superhumps had never before been observed in AM CVn stars and candidates, thus NSV 1440 is the first confirmed WZ Sge-type AM CVn candidate. We obtained an early superhump period of 0.0252329(49) d and a growing (stage A) superhumps period of 0.025679(20) d from the 2015 superoutburst. We regarded the early superhump period as the orbital one. By using these periods we estimated the mass ratio q = 0.045(2). This value suggests that NSV 1440 is indeed an AM CVn star and that the secondary is a semi-degenerate star. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ASASSN-14dx showed an extraordinary outburst whose features are a small outburst amplitude (∼2.3 mag) and long duration (>4 yr). Because we found a long observational gap of 123 d before the outburst detection, we propose that the main outburst plateau was missed and that this outburst is just a "fading tail" often seen after the WZ Sge-type super-outbursts. In order to distinguish between WZ Sge and SU UMa-type dwarf novae (DNe), we investigated Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) statistically. We applied a logistic regression model and succeeded in classifying by using absolute Gaia magnitudes MG and Gaia colors G BP– G RP. Our new classifier also suggests that ASASSN-14dx is the best candidate of a WZ Sge-type DN. We estimated distances from the Earth of known WZ Sge stars by using Gaia DR2 parallaxes. The result indicates that ASASSN-14dx is the third-nearest WZ Sge star (next to WZ Sge and V455 And), and hence the object can show the third-brightest WZ Sge-type super-outburst whose maximum is V = 8–9 mag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]