There is growing evidence that many Be stars are parts of binary systems. As the B-type primaries are very fast rotators and their spectral lines may be distorted by the circumstellar material, it is not easy to measure their radial velocity directly from the spectral lines. It has been shown that some Be binaries exhibit peak intensity variations consisting of double-peaked H$\alpha$ lines that are phase-locked with orbital periods. We searched for such variations in the spectra of 12 Be stars, including several known and suspected binaries. Our results include confirmation of the orbital periods in $\nu$ Geminorum, $ϵ$ Capricorni, $\kappa$ Draconis, 60 Cygni, and V2119 Cygni, its refinement in o Puppis, as well as suggesting hints for binarity in o Aquarii, BK Camelopardalis, and 10 Cassiopeae. Monitoring of the H$\alpha$ line profile variations in $\beta$ Canis Minoris for over the last 10 years gives further support to the existence of a 182.5-day period found earlier in a smaller set of data. A similar but still preliminary period (179.6 days) was found in the H$\alpha$ line profile variations in $\psi$ Persei. It is shown for the first time that $\nu$ Geminorum exhibits phase-locked variations in the H$\alpha$ emission peak intensity ratio and, therefore, is a part of the inner binary in this triple system. Our results show that the mentioned phase-locked peak intensity variations are observed in more Be binary systems than previously known and can be used to search for binarity of Be stars when application of other methods is inconclusive.

HD 327083 is a binary system that consists of two supergiant components and exhibits the B[e] phenomenon. In this paper, we report the determination of a new set of the system’s fundamental parameters using a combination of photometric and spectroscopic data as well as the Gaia EDR3 distance. We found that the orbital period of the system is 107.68 ± 0.02 days. The spectral line content implies the effective temperatures of ≈7000 K and 25,400 ± 1400 K, while the photometric variations are consistent with the radii of ≈106 R _⊙ and ≈10 R _⊙ for the cool and hot components, respectively. The absorption lines of the cool component show a radial velocity semiamplitude of 48.3 ± 1.7 km s⁻¹, similar to that of the emission lines that originate around the hot component. The inclination of the system to the line of sight is 47 − 20 + 17 °. Modeling of the system's evolutionary history suggests that the components have masses of ∼12.5 M _⊙ and currently undergo mass transfer between them. This configuration, which takes in heating of the surface of the cool component by the radiation from the hot one, can reproduce the photometric and spectroscopic data and is in agreement with previous infrared observations of the circumbinary disk. The results of this study further confirm the hypothesis that the reason for the presence of the B[e] phenomenon in most objects is a consequence of the evolution of various binary systems.

We present a Doppler tomography study of the Be star HD 698, recently resolved via interferometry as a post-mass-transfer binary system consisting of a Be star and a stripped, pre-subdwarf companion. Based on 76 high-resolution optical spectra obtained between 2014 and 2023, we analyze the H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ emission lines and apply Doppler tomography to map the structure of the circumstellar disk. The H$\alpha$ line reveals an asymmetric, multi-component velocity distribution, with an emission feature closely following the orbital motion of the companion. V/R variations in both H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ lines are phase-locked with the companion’s orbital motion, indicating a tidally induced disk asymmetry. We discuss possible origins of the companion-centered H$\alpha$ emission, including a circumsecondary disk, a transient mass-transfer stream, and stellar wind.

$\kappa$ Draconis is a binary system with a classical Be star as the primary component. Its emission-line spectrum consists of hydrogen lines, notably the H$\alpha$ line with peak intensity ratio (V/R) variations phase-locked with the orbital period P = 61.55 days. Among binaries demonstrating the Be phenomenon, $\kappa$ Dra stands out as one of a few systems with a discernible mass of its secondary component. Based on more than 200 spectra obtained in 2014–2023, we verified the physical parameters and constructed the mass function. We used part of these data obtained in 2014–2021 to investigate regions in the circumstellar disk of the primary component that emit the H$\alpha$ line using the Doppler tomography method. The results show that the disk has a non-uniform density distribution with a prominent enhancement at ${\mathrm{V}}_y$ ≈ 99 km ${\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ and ${\mathrm{V}}_x$$\approx -6$ km ${\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ that corresponds to a cloud-like source of the double-peaked H$\alpha$ line profile. We argue that this enhancement’s motion is responsible for the periodic variations in the H$\alpha$ V/R ratio, which is synchronised in orbital phase with the radial velocity (RV) of absorption lines from the atmosphere of the primary component.

We present a detailed analysis of the early post-mass-transfer binary system HD 698 (V742 Cas), combining high-resolution optical spectroscopy, long-baseline interferometry, and radiative transfer modeling. Counter-phased RV curves reveal a circular orbit with a period of 55.927 ± 0.001 d and component masses of M _Be = 7.48 ± 0.07 M _⊙ and M _comp = 1.23 ± 0.02 M _⊙ . The Be primary is traced via broad H α wings, while narrow metallic absorption lines originate from a slowly rotating companion. The angular separation measured via interferometry implies a dynamical distance of 888 ± 5 pc. The spectral energy distribution is best reproduced with a color excess E ( B − V ) = 0.321 ± 0.016 due to interstellar reddening and a moderately dense viscous decretion disk with base density ρ ₀ ≃ 5 × 10 ⁻¹² g cm ⁻³ at r = R _eq , declining radially as ρ ( r ) ∝ r ^{− n} with n = 3.0. The companion is found to be a luminous and inflated star with T eff , comp = 10 . 0 − 0.1 + 0.2 kK, R comp = 13 . 1 − 0.2 + 0.2 R ⊙ , and log L / L ⊙ = 3.19 , contributing significantly to the flux ( L _comp / L _Be ∼ 0.3). Spectral line mismatches provide further circumstantial evidence that the companion is hydrogen poor, consistent with a stripped-envelope star enriched by CNO processing. HD 698 thus belongs to the emerging class of Be + bloated O/B binaries, representing a short-lived, high-luminosity post-mass-transfer phase, when the stripped donor is still spectroscopically detectable before reaching the subdwarf phase.

κ Draconis is a binary system with a classical Be star as the primary component. Its emission-line spectrum consists of hydrogen lines, notably the Hα line with a peak intensity ratio (V/R) variations phase-locked with the orbital period P = 61.55 days. Among binaries demonstrating the Be phenomenon, κ Dra stands out as one of a few systems with a discernible mass of its secondary component. Based on more than 200 spectra obtained in 2014 − 2023, we verified the physical parameters and constructed the mass function. We used part of these data obtained in 2014 − 2021 to investigate regions in the circumstellar disk of the primary component that emit the Hα line using the Doppler tomography method. The results show that the disk has a non-uniform density distribution with a prominent enhancement at Vy≈ 99 km s−1 and Vx≈−6 km s−1 that corresponds to a cloud-like source of the double-peaked Hα line profile. We argue that this enhancement’s motion is responsible for the periodic variations of the Hα V/R ratio, which is synchronised in orbital phase with the radial velocity (RV) of absorption lines from the atmosphere of the primary component.