On the role of duplicity in the Be phenomenon - I. General considerations and the first attempt at a 3-D gas-dynamical modelling of gas outflow from hot and rapidly rotating OB stars in binaries

This paper begins a new series of studies devoted to a critical re-examination of the role of duplicity for the Be phenomenon and for the variability patterns observed for many Be stars. Based on both dynamical and energy considerations and a numerical gas-dynamical modelling, a new hypothesis of the formation of Be envelopes in binaries, via an outflow from a rapidly rotating B star in a detached binary, is outlined. It is shown that such an outflow is facilitated by the presence of a companion to the B star and leads to the formation of an envelope but not to any significant mass exchange between the binary components.