A Useful Approximation for Computing the Continuum Polarization of Be Stars

Abstract

This paper describes a practical model for the polarization of Be stars which can be used to estimate roughly the physical parameters for optically thin circumstellar envelopes from broadband UBVRI photopolarimetry data. Analysis of long-term variability in terms of these parameters is a promising approach toward understanding the Be phenomenon. An interesting result from fitting the model to observations of eight Be stars is that all of them may have geometrically thin disks, with opening half-angles on the order of ten degrees or less. This contributes to the growing evidence that most Be disks are geometrically thin.