Strange stars in the framework of higher curvature gravity
We study the influence of higher curvature effects on stellar structure and conclude that the properties of stars are greatly impacted when such terms are dynamic. In particular the surface gravitational redshift which is connected to the equation of state and also the mass-radius ratio differs greatly from the corresponding values in general relativity as evidenced through our empirical comparisons. A model of a superdense star with strange star equation of state is constructed within the framework of the Einstein--Gauss--Bonnet theory. Under these assumptions large classes of solutions are admitted by the field equations. We isolate a particular class with the ansatz of the Vaidya--Tikekar superdense star spatial gravitational potential. The model is found to satisfy elementary requirements for physical applicability and stability. The parameter values chosen are consistent with observed star models. A significant effect of the higher curvature terms is to reduce the speed of sound and to drastically reduce the values of the surface gravitational redshift compared to the Einstein counterpart. These latter results have implications for interpretations of observations in relativistic astrophysics which are often made against the background of the standard general theory of relativity.