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Morris and Thorne developed wormhole solutions in the late 1980s when they discovered a recipe that wormholes must follow for travelers to cross them safely. They describe exotic matter as satisfying $-p_{r} > \rho$, where $p_{r}$ is the radial pressure and $\rho$ is the energy density of the wormhole. This is a notable characteristic of the General Relativity Theory. The current article discusses traversable wormhole solutions in $f(R, L, T)=R+\alpha L+\beta T$, with $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are model parameters. The wormhole solutions presented here satisfy the metric constraints of traversability while remarkably avoiding the exotic matter condition, indicating that $f(R, L, T)$ gravity wormholes can be filled with ordinary matter. The derived solutions for the shape function of the wormhole meet the required metric conditions. They exhibit behavior that is comparable to that of wormholes reported in earlier references, which is also the case for our solutions for the energy density of such objects., Comment: 5 Pages, 4 figures

We present solutions for non-spherically symmetric neutron stars. We begin by deriving the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations from a parameterized metric that takes into account the deformation of the star due to differences in equatorial and polar pressures, expressed in terms of a parameter D, which is the ratio between polar and equatorial radius. The stellar structure is solved using the GM1 equation of state and the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations for deformed objects are numerically integrated using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method for different values of the parameter D. We show that larger values of D > 1, that describe prolate neutron stars, yield smaller values of mass and radius, while for smaller values of D < 1, describing oblate neutron stars, larger values for mass and radius are attained. From the confrontation of our model theoretical predictions with recent observational data on pulsars, it is possible to constrain the values of the parameter D.

We construct the energy conditions for the recently proposed $f(R,L,T)$ gravity theory, for which $f$ is a generic function of the Ricci scalar $R$, matter lagrangian density $L$ and trace of the energy-momentum tensor $T$. We analyse two different forms for the $f(R,L,T)$ function within the framework of the Friedmann-Lem\^aitre-Robertson-Walker universe. We constrain the model parameters from the energy conditions. This approach allows us to assess the feasibility of specific forms of the $f(R,L,T)$ gravity., Comment: EPJ Plus accepted version

In the present work, we obtain the hydrostatic equilibrium configurations of neutron stars in the recently proposed $f(R,\mathcal{L},T)$ theory of gravity, for which $R$ is the Ricci scalar, $\mathcal{L}$ is the matter lagrangian density, $T$ is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor and $f$ is a function of the argument. This theory emerges in the present literature as a generalized geometry-matter coupling theory of gravity. We derive the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff-like equation for a particular functional form of the $f(R,\mathcal{L},T)$ function. Our solutions are obtained from realistic equations of state describing matter inside neutron stars. We obtain stable solutions for neutron stars and we show that for some values of the free parameter of the theory it is possible to be in agreement with both NICER and LIGO/Virgo observational data.

The $f(R,T)$ gravity models, for which $R$ is the Ricci scalar and $T$ is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor, elevate the degrees of freedom of the renowned $f(R)$ theories, by making the Einstein field equations of the theory to also depend on $T$. While such a dependence can be motivated by quantum effects, the existence of imperfect or extra fluids, or even a cosmological ``constant'' which effectively depends on $T$, the formalism can truly surpass some deficiencies of $f(R)$ gravity. As the $f(R,T)$ function is arbitrary, several parametric models have been proposed {\it ad hoc} in the literature and posteriorly confronted with observational data. In the present article, we use gaussian process to construct an $f(R,T)=R+f(T)$ model. To apply the gaussian process we use a series of measurements of the Hubble parameter. We then analytically obtain the functional form of the function. By construction, this form, which is novel in the literature, is well-adjusted to cosmological data. In addition, by extrapolating our reconstruction to redshift $z=0$, we were able to constrain the Hubble constant value to $H_0=69.97\pm4.13$$\rm \ km \ s^{-1} \ Mpc^{-1}$ with $5\%$ precision. Lastly, we encourage the application of the functional form herewith obtained to other current problems of observational cosmology and astrophysics, such as the rotation curves of galaxies.

Context: Recently, Doroshenko and collaborators reported a very low-mass compact star, a Central Compact Object named XMMU J173203.3-344518 inside the supernova remnant HESS J1731-347. Its tiny mass is at odds with all calculations of minimum masses of neutron stars generated by iron cores, therefore (and even if not compellingly) it has been suggested to be a {\it strange star}. Besides the mass, a radius and surface temperature have been extracted from data, and the whole body of information should ultimately reveal if this object is truly consistent with an exotic composition. Aims: To understand the status of the compact object XMMU J173203.3-344518 in HESS J1731-347 within the existing models of strange stars, including its prompt formation. Methods: The information obtained on the mass, radius and surface temperature are compared to theoretical calculations performed within usual theoretical models using General Relativity as the assumed theory of gravitation and a handful of cooling scenarios. A qualitative discussion showing the consistency of the strange-matter driven supernova scenario with a low-mass compact star is provided. Results: We found that the object HESS J1731-347 fits within the same quark star models recently employed to explain the masses and radii of the NICER objects PSR J040+6620 and PSR J0030+0451, in which both quantities were simultaneously determined. It is also remarkable to find that a simple cooling scenario devised $30\text{ yr}$ ago with superconducting quarks provides an overall good explanation of the surface temperature. Conclusions: We conclude that XMMU J173203.3-344518 in the remnant HESS J1731-347 fits into a ``strange star'' scenario that is also consistent with heavier compact stars, which can also belong to the same class and constitute an homogeneous type of self-bound objects produced in Nature., Comment: Accepted by A&A Letters, in the press

The study of compact object populations has come a long way since the determination of the mass of the Hulse-Taylor pulsar, and we now count on more than 150 known Galactic neutron stars and black hole masses, as well as another 180 objects from binary mergers detected from gravitational-waves by the Ligo-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration. With a growing understanding of the variety of systems that host these objects, their formation, evolution and frequency, we are now in a position to evaluate the statistical nature of these populations, their properties, parameter correlations and long-standing problems, such as the maximum mass of neutron stars and the black hole lower mass gap, to a reasonable level of statistical significance. Here, we give an overview of the evolution and current state of the field and point to some of its standing issues. We focus on Galactic black holes, and offer an updated catalog of 35 black hole masses and orbital parameters, as well as a standardized procedure for dealing with uncertainties., Comment: 39 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables. Published in the Galaxies Special Issue "Challenges of This Century in High-Density Compact Objects, High-Energy Astrophysics, and Multi-Messenger Observations. Quo Vadis?"

The lack of objects between $2\,M_{\odot}$ and $5\,M_{\odot}$ in the joint mass distribution of compact objects has been termed "mass gap", and attributed mainly to the characteristics of the supernova mechanism precluding their birth. However, recent observations show that a number of candidates reported to lie inside the "gap" may fill it, suggesting instead a paucity that may be real or largely a result of small number statistics. We quantify in this work the individual candidates and evaluate the joint probability of a mass gap. Our results show that an absolute mass gap is not present, to a very high confidence level. It remains to be seen if a relative paucity of objects stands in the future, and how this population can be related to the formation processes, which may include neutron star mergers, collapse of a neutron star to a black hole and others., Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Astronomical data have shown that the galaxy rotation curves are mostly flat in the far distance of the galactic cores, which reveals the insufficiency of our knowledges about how gravity works in these regimes. In this paper we introduce a resolution of this issue from the $f(R,T)$ modified gravity formalism perspective. By investigating two classes of models with separable (minimal coupling model) and inseparable (non-minimal coupling model) parts of the Ricci scalar $R$ and trace of the energy-momentum tensor $T$, we find that only in the latter models it is possible to attain flat galaxy rotation curves., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures

The standard formulation of General Relativity Theory, in the absence of a cosmological constant, is unable to explain the responsible mechanism for the observed late-time cosmic acceleration. On the other hand, by inserting the cosmological constant in Einstein's field equations it is possible to describe the cosmic acceleration, but the cosmological constant suffers from an unprecedented fine-tunning problem. This motivates one to modify Einstein's space-time geometry of General Relativity. The $f(Q)$ modified theory of gravity is an alternative theory to General Relativity, where the non-metricity scalar $Q$ is the responsible candidate for gravitational interactions. In the present work we consider a Friedmann-Lem\^aitre-Robertson-Walker cosmological model dominated by bulk viscous cosmic fluid in $f(Q)$ gravity with the functional form $f(Q)=\alpha Q^n$, where $\alpha$ and $n$ are free parameters of the model. We constrain our model with the recent Pantheon supernovae data set of 1048 data points, Hubble data set of 31 data points and baryon acoustic oscillations data set consisting of six points. For higher values of redshift, it is clear that the $f(Q)$ cosmology better fits data than standard cosmology. We present the evolution of our deceleration parameter with redshift and it properly predicts a transition from decelerated to accelerated phases of the universe expansion. Also, we present the evolution of density, bulk viscous pressure and the effective equation of state parameter with redshift. Those show that bulk viscosity in a cosmic fluid is a valid candidate to acquire the negative pressure to drive the cosmic expansion efficiently.We also examine the behavior of different energy conditions to test the viability of our cosmological $f(Q)$ model. Furthermore, the statefinder diagnostics are also investigated in order to distinguish among different dark energy models., Comment: Comments are welcome

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: $f(R,L)=R/2+L+\sigma RL$, where $R$ represents the curvature scalar, $L$ is the matter Lagrangian density, and $\sigma$ is the coupling parameter. When considering this theory, the strange stars become larger and more massive. In particular, when $\sigma=50$ 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.

Wormholes are outstanding solutions of Einstein's General Relativity. They were worked out in the late 1980's by Morris and Thorne, who have figured out a recipe that wormholes must obey in order to be traversable, that is, safely crossed by travelers. A remarkable feature is that General Relativity Theory wormholes must be filled by {\it exotic matter}, which Morris and Thorne define as matter satisfying $-p_r>\rho$, in which $p_r$ is the radial pressure and $\rho$ is the energy density of the wormhole. In the present article, we introduce, for the first time in the literature, traversable wormhole solutions of Einstein's Unimodular Gravity Theory. Unimodular Gravity was proposed by Einstein himself as the theory for which the field equations are the traceless portion of General Relativity field equations. Later, Weinberg has shown that this approach elegantly yields the solution of the infamous cosmological constant problem. The wormhole solutions here presented satisfy the metric conditions of "traversability" and remarkably evade the exotic matter condition, so we can affirm that Unimodular Gravity wormholes can be filled by ordinary matter., Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures

We propose a new model for Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) based on a sudden discharge of a charged young magnetar, caused by the short falling timescale of oppositely charged particles onto the magnetar. In this scenario, curvature radiation is emitted by particles accelerated at relativistic by the strong electric fields produced by the disconnection and the subsequent reconnection of the magnetic field lines, a process triggered by the sudden discharge. We modeled the magnetars as charged neutron stars in the static approximation using the exterior metric by the Reissner-Nordstr\"om. We also adopted an electrical charge distribution proportional to the mass-energy density, although our results are not strongly sensitive to the specific star charge distribution, only to the total charge. Our calculations show that the discharge and emission timescales are several milliseconds, compatible with the FRB phenomena for magnetars with a total charge of $\sim 10^{20}~\mathrm{C}$ and mass and radius in the range of 1.5 to 3.0 $\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ and 10 to 45 km, respectively. Furthermore, the calculated total emitted power of a coherent pulse is $P_{tot}\sim 10^{42-43} erg/s$, and the frequency range and time scale are also consistent with FRBs astronomical observations. Finally, if the magnetar does not collapse after the discharge, the existence of FRB repeater sources can not rule out the existence of a blast repetition after the time needed to magnetosphere recharges and produce a new discharge.

Currently, in order to explain the accelerated expansion phase of the universe, several alternative approaches have been proposed, among which the most common are dark energy models and alternative theories of gravity. Although these approaches rest on very different physical aspects, it has been shown that both are in agreement with the data in the current status of cosmological observations, thus leading to an enormous degeneration between these models. So until evidences of higher experimental accuracy are available, more conservative model independent approaches are a useful tool for breaking this degenerated cosmological models picture. Cosmography as a kinematic study of the universe is the most popular candidate on this regard. Here we show how to construct the cosmographic equations for the f (R, T ) theory of gravity within a conservative scenario of this theory, where R is the Ricci curvature scalar and T is the trace of the energy-moment tensor. Such equations relate f(R,T) and its derivatives at the current time t0 to the cosmographic parameters q0, j0 and s0. In addition, we show how these equations can be written within different dark energy scenarios, thus helping to discriminate between them. We also show how different f(R,T) gravity models can be constrained using these cosmographic equations., Comment: 20 pages, no figures

In this letter we obtain wormhole solutions from the Karmarkar condition in $f(Q)$ gravity formalism, in which $Q$ is the nonmetricity scalar. We show that the combination of such ingredients provides us the possibility of obtaining traversable wormholes satisfying the energy conditions. Our results contribute to $f(Q)$ gravity ascension, that was recently ignited by the natural prediction of early and late-time stages of universe expansion acceleration in the formalism., Comment: Revision submitted to PLB

We have analyzed in this work the updated sample of neutron star masses derived from the study of a variety of 96 binary systems containing at least one neutron star using Bayesian methods. After updating the multimodality of the distributions found in previous works, we determined the maximum mass implied by the sample using a robust truncation technique, with the result $m_{max} \sim 2.5-2.6 \, M_{\odot}$. We have checked that this mass is actually consistent by generating synthetic data and employing a Posterior Predictive Check. A comparison with seven published $m_{max}$ values inferred from the remnant of the NS-NS merger GW170817 was performed and the tension between the latter and the obtained $m_{max}$ value quantified. Finally, we performed a Local Outlier Factor test and verified that the result for $m_{max}$ encompasses the highest individual mass determinations with the possible exception of PSR J1748-2021B. The conclusion is that the whole distribution already points toward a high value of $m_{max}$, while several lower values derived from the NS-NS merger event are disfavored and incompatible with the higher binary system masses. A large $m_{max}$ naturally accommodates the lower mass component of the event GW190814 as a neutron star., Comment: 3 figures. Sumitted for publication

We revisit in this work a model for repeating Fast Radio Bursts based of the release of energy provoked by the magnetic field dynamics affecting a magnetar's crust. We address the basics of such a model by solving the propagation of the perturbation approximately, and quantify the energetics and the radiation by bunches of charges in the so-called {\it charge starved} region in the magnetosphere. The (almost) simultaneous emission of newly detected X-rays from SGR 1935+2154 is tentatively associated to a reconnection behind the propagation. The strength of $f$-mode gravitational radiation excited by the event is quantified, and more detailed studies of the non-linear (spiky) soliton solutions suggested., Comment: Submitted, discussion on GW enlarged, references added and physical pictured clarified

We construct a cosmological model from the inception of the Friedmann-Lem\^aitre-Robertson-Walker metric into the field equations of the f(R,L_m) gravity theory, with R being the Ricci scalar and L_m being the matter lagrangian density. The formalism is developed for a particular f(R,L_m) function, namely R/16\pi +(1+\sigma R)L_{m}, with \sigma being a constant that carries the geometry-matter coupling. Our solutions are remarkably capable of evading the Big-Bang singularity as well as predict the cosmic acceleration with no need for the cosmological constant, but simply as a consequence of the geometry-matter coupling terms in the Friedmann-like equations, Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Accepted version Fortschritte der physik

The properties of exotic stars are investigated. In particular, we study objects made entirely of dark matter and we take into account intrinsic anisotropies which have been ignored so far. We obtain exact analytical solutions to the structure equations and we we show that those solutions i) are well behaved within General Relativity, and ii) are capable of describing realistic astrophysical configurations., Comment: Minor corrections, references added

The detection of an unexpected $\sim 2.5 M_{\odot}$ component in the gravitational wave event GW190814 has puzzled the community of High-Energy astrophysicists, since in the absence of further information it is not clear whether this is the heaviest "neutron star" ever detected or either the lightest black hole known, of a kind absent in the local neighbourhood. We show in this work a few possibilities for a model of the former, in the framework of three different quark matter models with and without anisotropy in the interior pressure. As representatives of classes of "exotic" solutions, we show that even though the stellar sequences may reach this ballpark, it is difficult to fulfill simultaneously the constraint of the radius as measured by the NICER team for the pulsar PSR J0030+0451. Thus, and assuming both measurements stand, compact neutron stars can not be all made of self-bound quark matter, even within anisotropic solutions which boost the maximum mass well above the $\sim 2.5 M_{\odot}$ figure. We also point out that a very massive compact star will limit the absolute maximum matter density in the present Universe to be less than 6 times the nuclear saturation value., Comment: To appear in IJMPD, references added

We present a traversable wormhole solution using the traceless $f(R,T)$ theory of gravity. In the $f(R,T)$ gravity, the Ricci scalar $R$ in the Einstein-Hilbert action is replaced by a function of $R$ and trace of the energy momentum tensor $T$. The traceless version of the $f(R,T)$ gravity gives rise to a possible wormhole geometry without need for "exotic matter", which violates the principle of causality. Using a physically plausible ansatz for the wormhole's shape function, the traceless field equations lead to compliance with the weak energy condition at very well defined intervals of the coupling constant $\lambda$ in the $f(R,T)=R+2\lambda T$ form. Our solution leads to other well-behaved energy conditions considering some possible values of the parameter $\omega$ in the equation of state $p_r=\omega \rho$, with $p_r$ being the radial pressure and $\rho $ the density. The energy conditions are obeyed in the ranges $\lambda < -4\pi$ and $\omega > -1$. Through the calculation of the Volume Integral Quantifier, one sees that this wormholes can be traversable and respect the causality, since the amount of exotic matter in its interior can be arbitrarily small., Comment: Revision submitted to IJMPD

In this work we investigate neutron stars (NS) in $f(\mathcal{R,T})$ gravity for the case $R+2\lambda\mathcal{T}$, $\mathcal{R}$ is the Ricci scalar and $\mathcal{T}$ the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. The hydrostatic equilibrium equations are solved considering realistic equations of state (EsoS). The NS masses and radii obtained are subject to a joint constrain from massive pulsars and the event GW170817. The parameter $\lambda$ needs to be negative as in previous NS studies, however we found a minimum value for it. The value should be $|\lambda|\lesssim0.02$ and the reason for so small value in comparison with previous ones obtained with simpler EsoS is due to the existence of the NS crust. The pressure in theory of gravity depends on the inverse of the sound velocity $v_s$. Since, $v_s$ is low in the crust, $|\lambda|$ need to be very small. We found that the increment in the star mass is less than $1\%$, much smaller than previous ones obtained not considering the realistic stellar structure, and the star radius cannot become larger, its changes compared to GR is less than $3.6\%$ in all cases. The finding that using several relativistic and non-relativistic models the variation on the NS mass and radius are almost the same for all the EsoS, manifests that our results are insensitive to the high density part of the EsoS. It confirms that stellar mass and radii changes depend only on crust, where the EoS is essentially the same for all the models. The NS crust effect implying very small values of $|\lambda|$ does not depend on the theory's function chosen, since for any other one the hydrostatic equilibrium equation would always have the dependence $1/v_s$. Finally, we highlight that our results indicate that conclusions obtained from NS studies done in modified theories of gravity without using realistic EsoS that describe correctly the NS interior can be unreliable., Comment: Few typos corrected and new references added. Matches the published version

In the present work, we adopt a nonlinear scalar field theory coupled to the gravity sector to model galactic dark matter. We found analytical solutions for the scalar field coupled to gravity in the Newtonian limit, assuming an isotropic spacetime and a field potential, with a position dependent form of the superpotential, which entails the nonlinear dynamics of the model with self-interactions. The model introduces a position dependent enhancement of the self-interaction of the scalar fields towards the galaxy center, and while going towards the galaxy border the interaction tends to vanish building a non self-interacting DM scenario. The developed approach is able to provide a reasonable analytical description of the rotation curves in both dwarf and low surface brightness late-type galaxies, with parameters associated with the dynamics of the scalar field.

We suggest in this note that "spider" systems are the naturally expected progenitors of the highest neutron star masses, and possibly low-mass black holes, based on their long-term evolutionary features and actual mass measurements., Comment: To appear in Science China: Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy, News & Views section

The article presents modeling of inflationary scenarios for the first time in the $f(R,T)$ theory of gravity. We assume the $f(R,T)$ functional from to be $R + \eta T$, where $R$ denotes the Ricci scalar, $T$ the trace of the energy-momentum tensor and $\eta$ the model parameter (constant). We first investigated an inflationary scenario where the inflation is driven purely due to geometric effects outside of GR. We found the inflation observables to be independent of the number of e-foldings in this setup. The computed value of the spectral index is consistent with latest Planck 2018 dataset while the scalar to tensor ratio is a bit higher. We then proceeded to analyze the behavior of an inflation driven by $f(R,T)$ gravity coupled with a real scalar field. By taking the slow-roll approximation, we generated interesting scenarios where a Klein Gordon potential leads to observationally consistent inflation observables. Our results makes it clear-cut that in addition to the Ricci scalar and scalar fields, the trace of energy momentum tensor also play a major role in driving inflationary scenarios., Comment: EPJ Plus accepted version

The effects of the cosmological constant on the static equilibrium configurations and stability against small radial perturbations of relativistic polytropic spheres are investigated. This study numerically solves the hydrostatic equilibrium equation and the radial stability equation, both of which are modified from their standard form to introduce the cosmological constant. For the fluid, we consider a pressure $p$ and an energy density $\rho$, which are connected through the equation of state $p=\kappa\delta^{\Gamma}$ with $\delta=\rho-p/(\Gamma-1)$, where $\kappa$, $\Gamma$ and $\delta$ represent the polytropic constant, adiabatic index and rest mass density of the fluid, respectively. The dependencies of the mass, radius and eigenfrequency of oscillations on both the cosmological constant and the adiabatic index are analyzed. For ranges of both the central rest mass density $\delta_c$ and the adiabatic index $\Gamma$, we show that the stars have a larger (lower) mass and radius and a diminished (enhanced) stability when the cosmological constant $\Lambda>0$ ($\Lambda<0$) is increased (decreased). In addition, in a sequence of compact objects with fixed $\Gamma$ and $\Lambda$, the regions constructed by stable and unstable static equilibrium configurations are recognized by the conditions $dM/d\delta_c>0$ and $dM/d\delta_c<0$, respectively., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures

In a recent paper, "Reexamining $f\left(R,T\right)$ gravity", by S. B. Fisher and E. D. Carlson, Phys. Rev. D 100, 064059 (2019), the authors claim that for the particular $f(R,T)$ modified gravity model, with $f(R,T)=f_1(R)+f_2(T)$, the term $f_2(T)$ must be included in the matter Lagrangian and therefore it does not have any physical significance. We carefully reexamine the line of reasoning presented in the paper, and we show that there are several major conceptual problems related to the author's physical interpretations, as well as in the physical and mathematical approaches used to derive the energy-momentum tensor of the theory. These problems raise some serious concerns about the validity of most of the results presented in the paper., Comment: 4 pages, no figures, accepted for publication in PRD

In this paper, we present the cosmological scenario obtained from $f(R,T)$ gravity by using an exponential dependence on the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. With a numerical approach applied to the equations of motion, we show several precise fits and the respective cosmological consequences. As a matter of completeness, we also analyzed cosmological scenarios where this new version of $f(R,T)$ is coupled with a real scalar field. In order to find analytical cosmological parameters, we used a slow-roll approximation for the evolution of the scalar field. This approximation allowed us to derived the Hubble and the deceleration parameters whose time evolutions describe the actual phase of accelerated expansion, and corroborate with our numerical investigations. Therefore, the analytical parameters unveil the viability of this proposal for $f(R,T)$ in the presence of an inflaton field., Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures

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 $\nabla T_{\mu\nu}=0$, 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 $p=\omega\rho$ and the MIT bag model $p=\omega(\rho-4B)$. With these assumptions it was possible to derive macroscopic properties of these objects., Comment: preprint version with 14 pages and 3 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1803.07719

Here, we propose a new exponential shape function in wormhole geometry within modified gravity. The energy conditions and equation of state parameter are obtained. The radial and tangential null energy conditions are validated, as well as the weak energy condition, which indicates the absence of exotic matter due to modified gravity allied with such a new proposal., Comment: 5pages, 4 figures

In this work we derive a gravastar model in Randall-Sundrum II braneworld scenario. Gravastars (or gravitationally vacuum stars) were proposed by Mazur and Mottola as systems of gravitational collapse alternative to black holes. The external region of the gravastar is described by a Schwarzschild space-time, while its internal region is filled by dark energy. In between there is a thin shell surface with ultrarelativistic matter (sometimes referred to as stiff matter). We obtain solutions for some physical quantities of the braneworld gravastars. Those are compared to original Mazur-Mottola results as well as with some gravastar solutions in alternative gravity theories. The consequences of the braneworld setup in gravastar physics is deeply discussed., Comment: 12 pages

We apply the Induced Matter Model to a five-dimensional metric. For the case with null cosmological constant, we obtain a solution able to describe the radiation-dominated era of the universe. The positive $\Lambda$ case yields a bounce cosmological model. In the negative five-dimensional cosmological constant case, the scale factor is obtained as $a(t)\sim\sqrt[]{\sinh t}$, which is able to describe not only the late-time cosmic acceleration but also the non-accelerated stages of the cosmic expansion in a continuous form. This solution together with the extra-dimensional scale factor solution yields the material content of the model to be remarkably related through an equation of state analogous to the renowned MIT bag model equation of state for quark matter $p=(\rho-4B)/3$. In our case, $\rho=\rho_m+B$, with $\rho_m$ being the energy density of relativistic and non-relativistic matter and $B=\ \Lambda\ /16\pi$ represents the bag energy constant, which plays the role of the dark energy in the four-dimensional universe, with $\Lambda$ being the cosmological constant of the AdS$_5$ space-time. Our model satisfactorily fits the observational data for the low redshift sample of the experimental measurement of the Hubble parameter, which resulted in $H_0=72.2^{+5.3}_{-5.5}$km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures

The $f(R,T)$ gravity field equations depend generically on both the Ricci scalar $R$ and trace of the energy-momentum tensor $T$. Within the assumption of perfect fluids, the theory carries an arbitrariness regarding the choice of the matter lagrangian density $\mathcal{L}$, not uniquely defined. Such an arbitrariness can be evaded by working with the trace of the theory field equations. From such an equation, one can obtain a form for $\mathcal{L}$, which does not carry the arbitrariness. The obtained form for $\mathcal{L}$ shows that the $f(R,T)$ gravity is unimodular. A new version of the theory is, therefore, presented and forthcoming applications are expected., Comment: 5 pages

An approach to estimate the spatial curvature $\Omega_k$ from data independently of dynamical models is suggested, through kinematic parameterizations of the comoving distance ($D_{C}(z)$) with third degree polynomial, of the Hubble parameter ($H(z)$) with a second degree polynomial and of the deceleration parameter ($q(z)$) with first order polynomial. All these parameterizations were done as function of redshift $z$. We used SNe Ia dataset from Pantheon compilation with 1048 distance moduli estimated in the range $0.01

We propose a new theoretical approach for a cosmological model, which starts from an exponential of the trace of the energy-momentum tensor-dependence on the gravitational action, to be summed to the Ricci scalar. We derive the referred field equations and Friedmann-like equations. We derive the scale factor, Hubble parameter and deceleration parameter, in terms of both time and redshift. In possession of those parameters in terms of the redshift, we confront their predictions with the observational Hubble dataset and the outcomes are pretty satisfactory so that the model can be seen as a new alternative to the cosmological constant problem. We also present the statefinder diagnostic and discuss profoundly the dynamical behaviour of the model., Comment: Accepted version in General Relativity and Gravitation

Braneworld models were firstly proposed as a great alternative for the hierarcy problem of particle physics, by allowing gravitons, differently from the other interacting bosons, to propagate through an extradimensional space named bulk. As time passed by the braneworld setup has also shown to be able to provide interesting results when applied to cosmology and stellar and gravitational wave astrophysics scenarios. In the present work we will construct Randall-Sundrum II braneworld wormholes whose interior space-time admits conformal motion. We show that for a wide range of positive values of the brane tension, it is possible to fill this wormholes with non-exotic matter, that is, matter obeying the energy conditions, departing from an important theoretical shortcoming of General Relativity wormholes., Comment: 10 Pages and 4 figures

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 $f(R,L)=R/2+[1+\sigma R]L$, with $\sigma$ constant. To describe matter inside neutron stars we assume the polytropic equation of state $p=K \rho^{\gamma}$, with $K$ and $\gamma = 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., Comment: EPJC accepted

Alternative gravity is nowadays an extremely important tool to address some persistent observational issues, such as the dark sector of the universe. They can also be applied to stellar astrophysics, leading to outcomes one step ahead of those obtained through General Relativity. In the present article we test a novel $f(R,T)$ gravity model within the physics and geometry of wormholes. The $f(R,T)$ gravity is a reputed alternative gravity theory in which the Ricci scalar $R$ in the Einstein-Hilbert gravitational lagrangian is replaced by a general function of $R$ and $T$, namely $f(R,T)$, with $T$ representing the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. We propose, for the first time in the literature, an exponential form for the dependence of the theory on $T$. We derive the field equations as well as the non-continuity equation and solve those to wormhole metric and energy-momentum tensor. The importance of applying alternative gravity to wormholes is that through these theories it might be possible to obtain wormhole solutions satisfying the energy conditions, departing from General Relativity well-known outcomes. In this article, we indeed show that it is possible to obtain wormhole solutions satisfying the energy conditions in the exponential $f(R,T)$ gravity. Naturally, there is still a lot to do with this model, as cosmological, galactical and stellar astrophysics applications, and the reader is strongly encouraged to do so, but, anyhow, one can see the present outcomes as a good indicative for the theory., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, To appear in European Physical Journal C

The $f(R)$ theories of gravity are the most popular, simple and well succeeded extension of Einstein's General Relativity. They can account for some observational issues of standard cosmology with no need for evoking the dark sector of the universe. In the present letter we will investigate LRS Bianchi type-I space-time in $f(R)$ gravity theory within the phantom energy dominated era. We show that in this formalism the phantom energy dominated universe is a transient stage and in the further stage of the universe dynamics, it is dominated, once again, by dark energy. Such an important feature is obtained from the model, rather than imposed to it, and may have a relation to loop quantum cosmology., Comment: Revision submitted to IJMPD

We study a specific model of anisotropic strange stars in the modified $f\left(R,\mathcal{T}\right)$-type gravity by deriving solutions to the modified Einstein field equations representing a spherically symmetric anisotropic stellar object. We take a standard assumption that $f(R,\mathcal{T})=R+2\chi\mathcal{T}$, where $R$ is Ricci scalar, $\mathcal{T}$ is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor of matter, and $\chi$ is a coupling constant. To obtain our solution to the modified Einstein equations, we successfully apply the `embedding class 1' techniques. We also consider the case when the strange quark matter (SQM) distribution is governed by the simplified MIT bag model equation of state given by $p_r=\frac{1}{3}\left(\rho-4B\right)$, where $B$ is bag constant. We calculate the radius of the strange star candidates by directly solving the modified TOV equation with the observed values of the mass and some parametric values of $B$ and $\chi$. The physical acceptability of our solutions is verified by performing several physical tests. Interestingly, besides the SQM, another type of matter distribution originates due to the effect of coupling between the matter and curvature terms in the $f\left(R,\mathcal{T}\right)$ gravity theory. Our study shows that with decreasing the value of $\chi$, the stellar systems under investigations become gradually massive and larger in size, turning them into less dense compact objects. It also reveals that for $\chi<0$ the $f\left(R,\mathcal{T}\right)$ gravity emerges as a suitable theory for explaining the observed massive stellar objects like massive pulsars, super-Chandrasekhar stars and magnetars, etc., which remain obscure in the standard framework of General Relativity (GR)., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables

This article presents cosmological models that arise in a subclass of $f(R,T)=f(R)+f(T)$ gravity models, with different $f(R)$ functions and fixed $T$-dependence. That is, the gravitational lagrangian is considered as $f(R,T)=f(R)+\lambda T$, with constant $\lambda$. Here $R$ and $T$ represent the Ricci scalar and trace of the stress-energy tensor, respectively. The modified gravitational field equations are obtained through the metric formalism for the Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker metric with signature $(+,-,-,-)$. We work with $f(R)=R+\alpha R^2-\frac{\mu^4}{R}$, $f(R)=R+k\ln(\gamma R)$ and $f(R)=R+me^{[-nR]}$, with $\alpha, \mu, k, \gamma, m$ and $n$ all free parameters, which lead to three different cosmological models for our Universe. For the choice of $\lambda=0$, this reduces to widely discussed $f(R)$ gravity models. This manuscript clearly describes the effects of adding the trace of the energy-momentum tensor in the $f(R)$ lagrangian. The exact solution of the modified field equations are obtained under the hybrid expansion law. Also we present the Om diagnostic analysis for the discussed models., Comment: 11 pages, 20 figures, Accepted version in EPJ C

Extradimensional models are achieving their highest popularity nowadays, among other reasons, because they can plausible explain some standard cosmology issues, such as the cosmological constant and hierarchy problems. In extradimensional models, we can infer that the four-dimensional matter rises as a geometric manifestation of the extra coordinate. In this way, although we still cannot see the extra dimension, we can relate it to physical quantities that are able to exert such a mechanism of matter induction in the observable universe. In this work we propose that scalar fields are those physical quantities. The models here presented are purely geometrical in the sense that no matter lagrangian is assumed and even the scalar fields are contained in the extradimensional metric. The results are capable of describing different observable cosmic features and yield an alternative to ultimately understand the extra dimension and the mechanism in which it is responsible for the creation of matter in the observable universe.

The possibility that the vacuum energy density $\rho_\Lambda$ is, indeed, varying in time, has been investigated lately from the running vacuum models perspective. Motivated by such models, in the present work, we relate the decaying vacuum energy $\rho_\Lambda(t)$ with a scalar field $\phi$. We derive the equations of motion from such a premise and implement the first-order formalism in order to obtain analytical solutions to the cosmological parameters. We show that those are in agreement with recent Planck observational data. We discuss the physical consequences of having $\rho_\Lambda(t)$ related to $\phi$., Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures

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 $p=\omega\rho^{5/3}$ and $p=0.28(\rho-4{\cal B})$, respectively, with $\omega$ and ${\cal B}$ being constants and $\rho$ 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 $f(R,T)=R+2\lambda T$ functional form, with $\lambda$ being a constant, we find that some physical properties of the stars, such as pressure, energy density, mass and radius, are affected when $\lambda$ is changed. We show that for some particular values of the constant $\lambda$, 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 $\lambda$ used for WDs is small when compared to the values used for NSs and SSs., Comment: Invited talk presented at the XIV International Workshop on Hadron Physics, Florian\'opolis, Brazil, March 2018

$f(R,T)$ 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., Comment: Accepted version

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 $\nabla^{\mu}T_{\mu\nu}=0$ 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 $p=k\rho^{\Gamma}$, with $k$ being the EoS parameter, $\rho$ {\it the energy density} and $\Gamma$ is the adiabatic index. We also derive the macroscopical properties of neutron stars ($\Gamma=5/3$) within this approach., Comment: This is a preprint. This work is in revision in European Physical Journal Plus