Probing the Small Scale Structures around Herbig Be Stars using Hα Spectropolarimetry

Abstract

AbstractWe present spectropolarimetric observations across Hα of a sample of Herbig Be objects. Roughly half of the observed Herbig Be stars show polarization changes across Hα, implying immediately that their ionized, hence inner, envelopes are not spherically symmetric. This pattern, if confirmed by observations of a larger sample, could indicate that the non-detection rate is simply a consequence of sampling randomly-oriented circumstellar disks able to scatter starlight within a few stellar radii, with as implication that the massive Herbig Be stars are still surrounded by accretion disks. In addition, we present preliminary modelling which will assist interpreting the kinematic structure of the electron-scattering region.