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arXiv · 2511.13058

The B[e] Phenomenon in Supergiants. A Result of Mass Transfer in Binaries, Mergers, or What?

Anatoly S. Miroshnichenko·Sergey V. Zharikov·Nadezhda L. Vaidman·Serik A. Khokhlov
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Abstract

The B[e] phenomenon discovered nearly 50 years ago features the presence of forbidden emission lines due to extended and dense circumstellar gas and large IR excesses due to the radiation from circumstellar dust in a wide variety of objects from pre-main-sequence stars to Planetary Nebulae. It also shows up in a small group of supergiants that includes Luminous Blue Variables, such as {\eta} Carinae. Over the years, some of them were proven to be binary systems, but the presence of a secondary component in other is still elusive. At the same time, there is growing evidence that the B[e] phenomenon can be due to binary mergers or interactions in triple systems.

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Anatoly S. Miroshnichenko, Sergey V. Zharikov, Nadezhda L. Vaidman, Serik A. Khokhlov. 2025-11-17. The B[e] Phenomenon in Supergiants. A Result of Mass Transfer in Binaries, Mergers, or What?. https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.13058

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