WZ Sge stars/TOADs and (soft) X-ray transients: close encounters of the same kind

The outbursts of WZ Sge stars (or TOADs), are compared to those seen in the (soft) X-ray transients. Both types of outbursts exhibit strong similarities: large amplitudes, long recurrence times, occurrence of superhumps, and of rebrightenings or reflares at the end or just after the main outburst. This suggests that the same kind of mechanism is at work to produce these outbursts. I also briefly discuss their differences and whether superoutbursts may exist among the very long (greater than or similar to month) outbursts in U Gem stars. This report is basically similar to that by Kuulkers (1999), with a few modifications. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.