Equilibrium and stability of relativistic stars in extended theories of gravity

TL;DR

This paper develops a generalized framework for analyzing the equilibrium and stability of relativistic stars within extended theories of gravity, including scalar-tensor models, providing new equations and stability criteria.

Contribution

It introduces a generic form of the stellar structure equations in extended gravity theories and examines stability, especially in scalar-tensor gravity, advancing theoretical understanding.

Findings

Derived generalized Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations for ETG

Analyzed stability conditions in scalar-tensor gravity

Provided a framework applicable to various extended gravity models

Abstract

We study static, spherically symmetric equilibrium configurations in extended theories of gravity (ETG) following the notation introduced by Capozziello et {\it al}. We calculate the differential equations for the stellar structure in such theories in a very generic form i.e., the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff generalization for any ETG is introduced. Stability analysis is also investigated with special focus on the particular example of scalar-tensor gravity.