SOAR observations of the high-viscosity accretion disc of the dwarf nova V4140 Sagitarii in quiescence and in outburst.

We report the analysis of 22 B-band light curves of the dwarf nova V4140 Sgr obtained with SOAR Optical Imager (SOI)/SOAR during two nights along the decline of a superoutburst in 2006 September 12-24 and in quiescence over 50 d following the superoutburst. 3D eclipse mapping of the outburst light curves indicates that the accretion disc is elliptical (eccentricity e = 0.13) and that superhump maximum occurs when the mass donor star is aligned with the bulge of the elliptical disc. The accretion disc is geometrically thin both in outburst and in quiescence; it fills the primary Roche lobe in the outburst and shrinks to about half this size in quiescence. The stability of the eclipse shape, width and depth along quiescence and the derived disc surface brightness distribution indicate that the quiescent accretion disc is in a high-viscosity, steady-state. Flickering mapping of the quiescent data reveals that the lowfrequency flickering arises from an azimuthally extended stream-disc impact region at disc rim and from the innermost disc region, whereas the high-frequency flickering originates in the accretion disc. Assuming the disc-related flickering to be caused by fluctuations in the energy dissipation rate induced by magnetohydrodynamic turbulence (Geertsema & Achterberg), we find that the quiescent disc viscosity parameter is large, α ~ 0.2-0.4, at all radii. The highviscosity quiescent disc and the inferred lowdisc temperatures in superoutburst are inconsistent with expectations of the disc-instability model, and lead to the conclusion that the outbursts of V4140 Sgr are powered by mass transfer bursts from its donor star. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]