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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 May 2016
We consider the formation of the Balmer emission lines and the decrement Hα/Hβ/Hγ, by solving the non-LTE problems in elementary regions of the envelope divided by equal line-of-sight velocities. These envelope-elements are characterized by different optical depths in the Balmer lines and by different dilution factors for the incident stellar radiation. It is shown that the decrements sensitively depend on these parameters of the envelope-elements. We show that the observed spectral-type dependence and large scatter of the decrements among Be stars can be explained in terms of the variation of these physical parameters.