arXiv subjects

G. A. Carvalho

Publications and source records attributed to G. A. Carvalho.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Tidal Properties of White Dwarfs Admixed with Fermionic Dark Matter

This study investigates the impact of fermionic dark matter (DM) on the structural and tidal properties of white dwarfs (WDs). Using a two-fluid general relativistic framework, we model stars with fixed DM mass fractions (${\rm MF}=M_{\rm DM}/M_{\rm NM} $), ranging from 0\% to 8\%, with zero representing the no DM scenario. Our results indicate that DM accumulation leads to a significant compactification of the star, reflected in increased surface gravity and compactness. Furthermore, we calculate the second-order tidal Love number $k_2$ and the dimensionless tidal deformability $Λ$. For some total mass range, we find that the presence of DM significantly reduces $Λ$, suggesting that DM-admixed WDs (DMWDs) are less susceptible to tidal deformations. These structural shifts alter the gravitational wave signatures in binary systems, potentially providing a new window for DM detection with future instruments like LISA.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Effects of light-mass fermionic dark matter on the equilibrium and stability of white dwarfs

White dwarfs (WDs) can be used as laboratories to test strong gravity and high-density regimes, once their equation of state is not so uncertain as the one of neutron stars. This makes them also a useful tool to constrain dark-matter models. In this work, we study dark matter white dwarfs (DMWD) composed of white dwarf matter admixed with fermionic dark matter in a two-fluid general relativistic framework. Dark matter particles are considered to have masses between $0.1-10$ GeV. The equilibrium configurations and stability are derived, showing that the DMWD can be more compact, with masses around 1.3 $M\odot$ and radii around 500 km. The increasing compactness leads to changes in the fundamental modes of radial oscillations ($\sim20\%$ for 0.1 GeV DM), which produce detectable shifts in GW frequencies. The interplay between dark matter and normal matter thus provides a compelling avenue for interpreting deviations in observed WD properties and for placing constraints on DM characteristics through astrophysical observations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Characterization of acetonitrile ice irradiated by X-rays employing the PROCODA code: II. Desorption processes

In this work, we focus on the study of radiation induced desorption processes that occurred in acetonitrile ice irradiated by broadband X-rays (6 eV to 2 keV) monitored by FTIR spectroscopy at different radiation fluences. In a previous work, we used the PROCODA code to derive the chemical evolution of the ice. Here, we have obtained that the acetonitrile desorbed column density is at least two orders of magnitude larger than the desorbed column densities of daughter or granddaughter molecular species at chemical equilibrium stage. This indicates that total desorption column density is mainly governed by the father molecule, as also previously hypothesized in experimental studies. This occurs basically because the acetonitrile column density is larger than the other ones. In particular, at chemical equilibrium acetonitrile desorption column density represents almost 98\% of the total, while it is close to 1\% for H, CN and CH$_2$, the species with larger molecular desorption percentages at chemical equilibrium. Another derived quantity is what we called intrinsic desorption rate, which is a number per second for individual species. Some of the larger intrinsic desorption rates were: CH$_3$CN ($6.2\times 10^{-6}$), CN ($6.2\times 10^{-6}$), H ($5.7\times 10^{-6}$), CH$_2$ ($5.7\times 10^{-6}$) and C$_2$N$_2$ ($4.4\times 10^{-6}$). These results help to put constrain in astrochemical models and can be also useful to clarify some astronomical radio observations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Orbital decay of double white dwarfs: beyond gravitational wave radiation effects

The traditional description of the orbital evolution of compact-object binaries, like double white dwarfs (DWDs), assumes that the system is driven only by gravitational wave (GW) radiation. However, the high magnetic fields with intensities of up to gigagauss measured in WDs alert a potential role of the electromagnetic (EM) emission in the evolution of DWDs. We evaluate the orbital dynamics of DWDs under the effects of GW radiation, tidal synchronization, and EM emission by a unipolar inductor generated by the magnetic primary and the relative motion of the non-magnetic secondary. We show that the EM emission can affect the orbital dynamics for magnetic fields larger than megagauss. We applied the model to two known DWDs, SDSS J0651+2844 and ZTF J1539+5027, for which the GW radiation alone does not fully account for the measured orbital decay rate. We obtain upper limits to the primary's magnetic field strength, over which the EM emission causes an orbital decay faster than observed. The contribution of tidal locking and the EM emission is comparable, and together they can contribute up to $20\%$ to the measured orbital decay rate. We show that the gravitational waveform for a DWD modeled as purely driven by GWs and including tidal interactions and EM emission can have large relative dephasing detectable in the mHz regime of frequencies relevant for space-based detectors like LISA. Therefore, including physics besides GW radiation in the waveform templates is essential to calibrate the GW detectors using known sources, e.g., ZTF J1539+5027, and to infer binary parameters.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Quark stars with 2.6 $M_\odot$ in a non-minimal geometry-matter coupling theory of gravity

This work analyses the hydrostatic equilibrium configurations of strange stars in a non-minimal geometry-matter coupling (GMC) theory of gravity. Those stars are made of strange quark matter, whose distribution is governed by the MIT equation of state. The non-minimal GMC theory is described by the following gravitational action: $f(R,L)=R/2+L+σRL$, where $R$ represents the curvature scalar, $L$ is the matter Lagrangian density, and $σ$ is the coupling parameter. When considering this theory, the strange stars become larger and more massive. In particular, when $σ=50$ km$^2$, the theory can achieve the 2.6 $M_\odot$, which is suitable for describing the pulsars PSR J2215+5135 and PSR J1614-2230, and the mass of the secondary object in the GW190814 event. The 2.6 $M_\odot$ is a value hardly achievable in General Relativity even considering fast rotation effects, and is also compatible with the mass of PSR J0952-0607 ($M = 2.35 \pm 0.17 ~M_\odot$), the heaviest and fastest pulsar in the disk of the Milky Way, recently measured, supporting the possible existence of strange quark matter in its composition. The non-minimal GMC theory can also give feasible results to describe the macroscopical features of strange star candidates.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Massive white dwarfs in $f(R,L_m)$ gravity

In this work, we investigate the equilibrium configurations of massive white dwarfs (MWD) in the context of modified gravity, namely $f(R,L_m)$ gravity, where $R$ stands for the Ricci scalar and $L_m$ is the Lagrangian matter density. We focused on the specific case $f(R,L_m) = R/2 + L_m + σRL_m$, i.e., we have considered a non-minimal coupling between the gravity field and the matter field, with $σ$ being the coupling constant. For the first time, the theory is applied to white dwarfs, in particular to study massive white dwarfs, which is a topic of great interest in the last years. The equilibrium configurations predict maximum masses which are above the Chandrasekhar mass limit. The most important effect of the theory is to increase significantly the mass for stars with radius < 2000 km. We found that the theory can accommodate the super-Chandrasekhar white dwarfs for different star compositions. Apart from this, the theory recovers the General Relativity results for stars with radii larger than 3000 km, independent of the value of $σ$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Neutron stars in $f(\mathtt{R,L_m})$ gravity with realistic equations of state: joint-constrains with GW170817, massive pulsars, and the PSR J0030+0451 mass-radius from ${\it NICER}$ data

In this work we investigate neutron stars (NS) in $f(\mathtt{R,L_m})$ theory of gravity for the case $f(\mathtt{R,L_m}) = \mathtt{R} + \mathtt{L_m} + σ\mathtt{R}\mathtt{L_m}$, where $\mathtt{R}$ is the Ricci scalar and $\mathtt{L_m}$ the Lagrangian matter density. In the term $σ\mathtt{R}\mathtt{L_m}$, $σ$ represents the coupling between the gravitational and particles fields. For the first time the hydrostatic equilibrium equations in the theory are solved considering realistic equations of state and NS masses and radii obtained are subject to joint constrains from massive pulsars, the gravitational wave event GW170817 and from the PSR J0030+0451 mass-radius from NASA's Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (${\it NICER}$) data. We show that in this theory of gravity, the mass-radius results can accommodate massive pulsars, while the general theory of relativity can hardly do it. The theory also can explain the observed NS within the radius region constrained by the GW170817 and PSR J0030+0451 observations for masses around $1.4~M_{\odot}$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

General approach to the Lagrangian ambiguity in $f(R, T)$ gravity

The $f(R,T)$ gravity is a theory whose gravitational action depends arbitrarily on the Ricci scalar, $R$, and the trace of the stress-energy tensor, $T$; its field equations also depend on matter Lagrangian, $\mathcal{L}_{m}$. In the modified theories of gravity where field equations depend on Lagrangian, there is no uniqueness on the Lagrangian definition and the dynamics of the gravitational and matter fields can be different depending on the choice performed. In this work, we have eliminated the $\mathcal{L}_{m}$ dependence from $f(R,T)$ gravity field equations by generalizing the approach of Moraes [Eur. Phys. J. C 79(8), 674 (2019)]. We also propose a general approach where we argue that the trace of the energy-momentum tensor must be considered an "unknown" variable of the field equations. The trace can only depend on fundamental constants and few inputs from the standard model. Our proposal resolves two limitations: first the energy-momentum tensor of the $f(R,T)$ gravity is not the perfect fluid one; second, the Lagrangian is not well-defined. As a test of our approach we applied it to the study of the matter era in cosmology, and the theory can successfully describe a transition between a decelerated Universe to an accelerated one without the need for dark energy.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

X-ray photolysis of CH$_3$COCH$_3$ ice: Implications for the radiation effects of compact objects towards astrophysical ices

In this study, we employed broadband X-rays ($6-2000$ eV) to irradiate the frozen acetone CH$_3$COCH$_3$, at the temperature of 12 K, with different photon fluences up to $2.7\times 10^{18}$ photons cm$^{-2}$. Here, we consider acetone as a representative complex organic molecule (COM) present on interstellar ice grains. The experiments were conduced at the Brazilian synchrotron facility (LNLS/CNPEN) employing infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to monitor chemical changes induced by radiation in the ice sample. We determined the effective destruction cross-section of the acetone molecule and the effective formation cross-section for daughter species. Chemical equilibrium, obtained for fluence $2\times 10^{18}$ photons cm$^{-2}$, and molecular abundances at this stage were determined, which also includes the estimates for the abundance of unknown molecules, produced but not detected, in the ice. Timescales for ices, at hypothetical snow line distances, to reach chemical equilibrium around several compact and main-sequence X-ray sources are given. We estimate timescales of 18 days, 3.6 and 1.8 months, $1.4\times 10^9-6\times 10^{11}$ years, 600 and $1.2\times 10^7$ years, and $10^7$ years, for the Sun at 5 AU, for O/B stars at 5 AU, for white dwarfs at 1 LY, for the Crab pulsar at 2.25 LY, for Vela pulsar at 2.25 LY, and for Sagittarius A* at 3 LY, respectively. This study improves our current understanding about radiation effects on the chemistry of frozen material, in particular, focusing for the first time, the effects of X-rays produced by compact objects in their eventual surrounding ices.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Hydrostatic equilibrium configurations of neutron stars in a non-minimal geometry-matter coupling theory of gravity

In this work we analyze hydrostatic equilibrium configurations of neutron stars in a non-minimal geometry-matter coupling (GMC) theory of gravity. We begin with the derivation of the hydrostatic equilibrium equations for the $f(R,L) $ gravity theory, where $R$ and $L$ are the Ricci scalar and Lagrangian of matter, respectively. We assume $f(R,L)=R/2+[1+σR]L$, with $σ$ constant. To describe matter inside neutron stars we assume the polytropic equation of state $p=K ρ^γ$, with $K$ and $γ= 5/3 $ being constants. We show that in this theory it is possible to reach the mass of massive pulsars such as PSR J2215+5135. As a feature of the GMC theory, very compact neutron stars with radius $\sim8$km and $M\sim 2.6M_\odot$ are stable, thus surpassing the Buchdal and Schwarzschild radius limits. Moreover, the referred stellar diameter is obtained within the range of observational data.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Strange stars in energy-momentum-conserved $f(R,T)$ gravity

For the accurate understanding of compact objects such as neutron stars and strange stars, the Tolmann-Openheimer-Volkof (TOV) equation has proved to be of great use. Hence, in this work, we obtain the TOV equation for the energy-momentum-conserved $f(R,T)$ theory of gravity to study strange quark stars. The $f(R,T)$ theory is important, especially in cosmology, because it solves certain incompleteness of the standard model. In general, there is no intrinsic conservation of the energy-momentum tensor in the $f(R,T)$ gravity. Since this conservation is important in the astrophysical context, we impose the condition $\nabla T_{μν}=0$, so that we obtain a function $f(R,T)$ that implies conservation. This choice of a function $f(R,T)$ that conserves the momentum-energy tensor gives rise to a strong link between gravity and the microphysics of the compact object. We obtain the TOV by taking into account a linear equation of state to describe the matter inside strange stars, such as $p=ωρ$ and the MIT bag model $p=ω(ρ-4B)$. With these assumptions it was possible to derive macroscopic properties of these objects.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Study of the charged super-Chandrasekhar limiting mass white dwarfs in the $f(R,\mathcal{T})$ gravity

The equilibrium configuration of white dwarfs composed of a charged perfect fluid are investigated in the context of the $f(R,\mathcal{T})$ gravity, for which $R$ and $\mathcal{T}$ stand for the Ricci scalar and the trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively. By considering the functional form $f(R, \mathcal{T})=R+2χ\mathcal{T}$, where $χ$ is the matter-geometry coupling constant, and for a Gaussian ansatz for the electric distribution, some physical properties of charged white dwarfs were derived, namely: mass, radius, charge, electric field, effective pressure and energy density; their dependence on the parameter $χ$ was also derived. In particular, the $χ$ value important for the equilibrium configurations of charged white dwarfs has the same scale of $10^{-4}$ of that for non-charged stars and the order of the charge was $10^{20}$C, which is scales with the value of one solar mass, i.e., $\sqrt{G}M_\odot\sim 10^{20}$C. We have also shown that charged white dwarf stars in the context of the $f(R,\mathcal{T})$ have surface electric fields generally below the Schwinger limit of $1.3\times 10^{18}$V/m. In particular, a striking feature of the coupling between the effects of charge and $f(R,\mathcal{T})$ gravity theory is that the modifications in the background gravity increase the stellar radius, which in turn diminishes the surface electric field, thus enhancing stellar stability of charged stars. Most importantly, our study reveals that the present $f(R,T)$ gravity model can suitably explain the super-Chandrasekhar limiting mass white dwarfs, which are supposed to be the reason behind the over-luminous SNeIa and remain mostly unexplained in the background of general relativity (GR).

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2019

A conservative energy-momentum tensor in the $f(R,T)$ gravity and its implications for the phenomenology of neutron stars

The solutions for the Tolmann-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) equation bring valuable informations about the macroscopical features of compact astrophysical objects as neutron stars. They are sensitive to both the equation of state considered for nuclear matter and the background gravitational theory. In this work we construct the TOV equation for a conservative version of the $f(R,T)$ gravity. While the non-vanishing of the covariant derivative of the $f(R,T)$ energy-momentum tensor yields, in a cosmological perspective, the prediction of creation of matter throughout the universe evolution as shown by T. Harko, in the analysis of the hydrostatic equilibrium of compact astrophysical objects, this property still lacks a convincing physical explanation. The imposition of $\nabla^μT_{μν}=0$ demands a particular form for the function $h(T)$ in $f(R,T)=R+h(T)$, which is here derived. Therefore, the choice of a specific equation of state for the star matter demands a unique form of $h(T)$, manifesting a strong connection between conserved $f(R,T)$ gravity and the star matter constitution. We construct and solve the TOV equation for the general equation of state for $p=kρ^Γ$, with $k$ being the EoS parameter, $ρ$ {\it the energy density} and $Γ$ is the adiabatic index. We also derive the macroscopical properties of neutron stars ($Γ=5/3$) within this approach.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Energy nonconservation as a link between $f(R,T)$ gravity and noncommutative quantum theory

$f(R,T)$ gravity was proposed as an extension of the $f(R)$ theories, containing not just geometrical correction terms to the General Relativity equations, but also material correction terms, dependent on the trace of the energy-momentum tensor $T$. These material extra terms prevent the energy-momentum tensor of the theory to be conserved, even in a flat background. Energy nonconservation is a prediction of quantum theory with time-space noncommutativity. If time is considered as an operator and there are compact spatial coordinates which do not commute with time, then the time evolution gets quantized and energy conservation can be violated. In the present work we construct a model in a 5-dimensional flat spacetime consisting of 3 commutative spatial dimensions and 1 compact spatial dimension whose coordinate does not commute with time. We show that energy flows from the 3-dimensional commutative slice into the compact extra dimension (and vice-versa), so that conservation of energy is restored. In this model the energy flux is proportional to the energy density of the matter content, leading to a differential equation for $f(R,T)$, thus providing a physical criterion to restrict the functional form of $f(R,T)$. We solve this equation and analyze the behavior of its solution in a spherically symmetric context.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Compact Astrophysical Objects in $f(R,T)$ gravity

In this article we study the hydrostatic equilibrium configuration of neutron stars (NSs) and strange stars (SSs), whose fluid pressure is computed from the equations of state $p=ωρ^{5/3}$ and $p=0.28(ρ-4{\cal B})$, respectively, with $ω$ and ${\cal B}$ being constants and $ρ$ the energy density of the fluid. We also study white dwarfs (WDs) equilibrium configurations. We start by deriving the hydrostatic equilibrium equation for the $f(R,T)$ theory of gravity, with $R$ and $T$ standing for the Ricci scalar and trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively. Such an equation is a generalization of the one obtained from general relativity, and the latter can be retrieved for a certain limit of the theory. For the $f(R,T)=R+2λT$ functional form, with $λ$ being a constant, we find that some physical properties of the stars, such as pressure, energy density, mass and radius, are affected when $λ$ is changed. We show that for some particular values of the constant $λ$, some observed objects that are not predicted by General Relativity theory of gravity can be attained. Moreover, since gravitational fields are smaller for WDs than for NSs or SSs, the scale parameter $λ$ used for WDs is small when compared to the values used for NSs and SSs.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Relating Braking Indices of Young Pulsars to the Dynamics of Superfluid Cores

Pulsars are stars that emit electromagnetic radiation in well-defined time intervals. The frequency of such pulses decays with time as is quantified by the {\it braking index} ($n$). In the canonical model $n = 3$ for all pulsars, but observational data show that $n \neq 3$, indicating a limitation of the model. In this work we present a new approach to study the frequency decay of the rotation of a pulsar, based on an adaptation of the canonical one. We consider the pulsar a star that rotates in vacuum and has a strong magnetic field but, differently from the canonical model, we assume that its moment of inertia changes in time due to a uniform variation of a displacement parameter in time. We found that the braking index results smaller than the canonical value as a consequence of an increase in the star's displacement parameter, whose variation is small enough to allow plausible physical considerations that can be applied to a more complex model for pulsars in the future. In particular, this variation is of the order of neutron vortices' creep in rotating superfluids. When applied to pulsar data our model yielded values for the stars' braking indices close to the observational ones. The application of this approach to a more complex star model, where pulsars are assumed to have superfluid interiors, is the next step in probing it. We hypothesize that the slow expansion of the displacement parameter might mimic the motion of core superfluid neutron vortices in realistic models.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

White dwarfs with a surface electrical charge distribution: Equilibrium and stability

The equilibrium configuration and the radial stability of white dwarfs composed of charged perfect fluid are investigated. These cases are analyzed through the results obtained from the solution of the hydrostatic equilibrium equation. We regard that the fluid pressure and the fluid energy density follow the relation of a fully degenerate electron gas. For the electric charge distribution in the object, we consider that it is centralized only close to the white dwarfs' surfaces. We obtain larger and more massive white dwarfs when the total electric charge is increased. To appreciate the effects of the electric charge in the structure of the star, we found that it must be in the order of $10^{20}\,[{\rm C}]$ with which the electric field is about $10^{16}\,[{\rm V/cm}]$. For white dwarfs with electric fields close to the Schwinger limit, we obtain masses around $2\,M_{\odot}$. We also found that in a system constituted by charged static equilibrium configurations, the maximum mass point found on it marks the onset of the instability. This indicates that the necessary and sufficient conditions to recognize regions constituted by stable and unstable equilibrium configurations against small radial perturbations are respectively $dM/dρ_c>0$ and $dM/dρ_c<0$.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

General Relativistic effects in the structure of massive white dwarfs

In this work we investigate the structure of white dwarfs using the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations and compare our results with those obtained from Newtonian equations of gravitation in order to put in evidence the importance of General Relativity (GR) for the structure of such stars. We consider in this work for the matter inside white dwarfs two equations of state, frequently found in the literature, namely, the Chandrasekhar and Salpeter equations of state. We find that using Newtonian equilibrium equations, the radii of massive white dwarfs ($M>1.3M_{\odot}$) are overestimated in comparison with GR outcomes. For a mass of $1.415M_{\odot}$ the white dwarf radius predicted by GR is about 33\% smaller than the Newtonian one. Hence, in this case, for the surface gravity the difference between the general relativistic and Newtonian outcomes is about 65\%. We depict the general relativistic mass-radius diagrams as $M/M_{\odot}=R/(a+bR+cR^2+dR^3+kR^4)$, where $a$, $b$, $c$ and $d$ are parameters obtained from a fitting procedure of the numerical results and $k=(2.08\times 10^{-6}R_{\odot})^{-1}$, being $R_{\odot}$ the radius of the Sun in km. Lastly, we point out that GR plays an important role to determine any physical quantity that depends, simultaneously, on the mass and radius of massive white dwarfs.

gr-qc↗