A study of the role of Lyman β fluorescence on OI line strengths in Be stars
Abstract
The possibility of the Lyβ fluorescence mechanism being operational in classical Be stars and thereby contributing to the strength of the OI 8446 line has been recognized for long. However this supposition needs to be quantified by comparing observed and predicted OI line ratios. In the present work, optical and near-infrared spectra of classical Be stars are presented. We analyse the observed strengths of the OI 7774, 8446, 11287 and 13165 lines which have been theoretically proposed as diagnostics for identifying the excitation mechanism. We have considered and examined the effects of Lyβ fluorescence, collisional excitation, recombination and continuum fluorescence on these OI line strengths. From our analysis it appears that the Lyβ fluorescence process is indeed operative in Be stars.
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