  Following our recent work devoted to the effect of accretion on the
pre-main-sequence evolution of low-mass stars, we perform a detailed analysis
of episodic excursions of low-mass protostars in the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R)
diagram triggered by strong mass accretion bursts typical of FU Orionis-type
objects (FUors). These excursions reveal themselves as sharp increases in the
stellar total luminosity and/or effective temperature of the protostar and can
last from hundreds to a few thousands of years, depending on the burst strength
and characteristics of the protostar. During the excursions, low-mass
protostars occupy the same part of the H-R diagram as young intermediate-mass
protostars in the quiescent phase of accretion. Moreover, the time spent by
low-mass protostars in these regions is on average a factor of several longer
than that spent by the intermediate-mass stars in quiescence. During the
excursions, low-mass protostars pass close to the position of most known FUors
in the H-R diagram, but owing to intrinsic ambiguity the model stellar
evolutionary tracks are unreliable in determining the FUor properties. We find
that the photospheric luminosity in the outburst state may dominate the
accretion luminosity already after a few years after the onset of the outburst,
meaning that the mass accretion rates of known FUors inferred from the
bolometric luminosity may be systematically overestimated, especially in the
fading phase.
