ON THE SPIN-DOWN OF BE STARS

The spin-down of Be stars due to angular momentum transport from star to disc has been considered. This has been prompted by empirical studi es of observed optical and IR line profile studies indicating that the disc is rotating in a Keplerian fashion. It is found that substantial spin-down may occur, espe cially for late B stars throughout their ma in-sequence lives for the ''strongest'' discs (most dense similar to 1 0(-11) g cm(-3) with high radial velocity similar to 1km s(-1) at thei r inner edge and with large opening angle similar to 15 degrees). This is in conflict with studies of rotational velocity distributions for different luminosity classes, which show no significant evolution. The implications of this for Be star discs are considered.