¹ Observatorio Astronómico de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque S/N, 1900-La Plata, Argentina
²Instituto de Física de Arroyo Seco (IFAS), Pinto 399, 7000-Tandil, Argentina

The aim of the present paper is to discuss the significance, in the infrared continuum of Be stars, of the dielectronic recombination (DR) of Mg II atoms. To accomplish this, we have calculated the emissivity in the lines of Mg I atoms, after the process of electron capture has taken place. In order to estimate its influence in the photospheric flux, we have considered the total energy emitted in all lines with _{1 2}, where ₁ and ₂ define the wavelength ranges of the Johnson system filters. We conclude that the DR of Mg II atoms does actually contribute significantly to the infrared excess observed in Be stars.

1998, ApJ, 503, 902