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arXiv · 2403.03399

Parameterized Post-Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff Framework for Screened Modified Gravity with an Application to the Secondary Component of GW190814

Christopher Reyes·Jeremy Sakstein
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Abstract

The secondary component of GW190814 has mass in the range $2.5$--$2.67{\rm M}_\odot$, placing it within the lower mass gap separating neutron stars from black holes. According to the predictions of general relativity and state-of-the-art nuclear equations of state, this object is too heavy to be a neutron star.~In this work, we explore the possibility that this object is a neutron star under the hypothesis that general relativity is modified to include screening mechanisms, and that the neutron star formed in an unscreened environment. We introduce a set of parameterized-post-Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (post-TOV) equations appropriate for screened modified gravity whose free parameters are environment-dependent. We find that it is possible that the GW190814 secondary could be a neutron star that formed in an unscreened environment for a range of reasonable post-TOV parameters.

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Christopher Reyes, Jeremy Sakstein. 2024-03-06. Parameterized Post-Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff Framework for Screened Modified Gravity with an Application to the Secondary Component of GW190814. https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.03399

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