2000A&A...359.1075H

We improve the theory of Horne & Marsh on shear broadening in accretion disks of CVs and adapt it to Be star circumstellar disks. Stellar obscuration and shell absorption are taken into account in detail. It is shown that shell absorption is already present in those emission lines where the central depression does not drop below the stellar continuum. The model profiles are fitted to observed symmetric Hα net emission lines with low equivalent width. The derived disk radii range from R_d=5.3R_* to R_d=18R_* and the surface emissivity varies as ∼R^–m with 1.6<m<3.5. The comparison between model profiles of rotational parameter j>(1)/(2) with the optically thick Hα profile of HR 5440 rules out the range of j>(1)/(2). This can be understood by the lack of velocity shear in the outer disk regions. We conclude that Keplerian rotation (j=(1)/(2)) is a valid approximation.