Investigation of the Nature of the B[e] Star CI Cam in the Optical Range

The B[e] phenomenon is observed in a wide range of stars at various evolutionary stages. Its nature remains uncertain. The B[e] phenomenon is defined as the simultaneous presence of low-excitation forbidden line emission and strong infrared excess in the spectra of early-type stars. Here, we present new spectral observations of a representative of this class: the star CI Cam. A monitoring campaign was carried out for the He II 4686 Å emission line, which serves as an indicator of binarity in this system. The aim was to detect variations in this line not only due to orbital motion but also those associated with the pulsations of the system’s primary component, the B[e] star. Two maxima in the equivalent width were detected over the pulsation period, during which the equivalent width increased by a factor of three. We refine the classification of CI Cam, assigning it to the FS CMa group of B[e] stars by all criteria, and we refer the secondary component of the system to a group of recently discovered “stripped” stars.