A theoretical light curve is constructed for the quiescent phase of the recurrent nova U Scorpii in order to resolve the existing distance discrepancy between the outbursts ( d \sim 6 kpc ) and the quiescences ( d \sim 14 kpc ) .
Our U Sco model consists of a very massive white dwarf ( WD ) , an accretion disk ( ACDK ) with a flaring-up rim , and a lobe-filling , slightly evolved , main-sequence star ( MS ) .
The model properly includes an accretion luminosity of the WD , a viscous luminosity of the ACDK , a reflection effect of the MS and the ACDK irradiated by the WD photosphere .
The B light curve is well reproduced by a model of 1.37 M _ { \odot } WD + 1.5 M _ { \odot } MS ( 0.8—2.0 M _ { \odot } MS is acceptable ) with an ACDK having a flaring-up rim , and the inclination angle of the orbit i \sim 80 \arcdeg .
The calculated color is rather blue ( B - V \sim 0.0 ) for a suggested mass accretion rate of 2.5 \times 10 ^ { -7 } M _ { \odot } yr ^ { -1 } , thus indicating a large color excess of E ( B - V ) \sim 0.56 with the observational color of B - V = 0.56 in quiescence .
Such a large color excess corresponds to an absorption of A _ { V } \sim 1.8 and A _ { B } \sim 2.3 , which reduces the distance to 6—8 kpc .
This is in good agreement with the distance estimation of 4—6 kpc for the latest outburst .
Such a large intrinsic absorption is very consistent with the recently detected period change of U Sco , which is indicating a mass outflow of \sim 3 \times 10 ^ { -7 } M _ { \odot } yr ^ { -1 } through the outer Lagrangian points in quiescence .