# Stellar Evolution of Compact Stars in Curvature-Matter Coupling Gravity

## TL;DR

This study explores the impact of curvature-matter coupling in modified gravity on the structure and evolution of compact stars, using numerical solutions and physical viability checks to match observational data.

## Contribution

It introduces a new model of stellar evolution in $f(R,T,Q)$ gravity with specific functional forms and analyzes its physical acceptability and observational consistency.

## Key findings

- Maximum mass within observational limits
- Physical properties depend on coupling parameter
- Model satisfies energy and causality conditions

## Abstract

This paper is devoted to the study of stellar evolution of compact objects whose energy density and pressure of the fluid are interlinked by means of MIT bag model and a realistic polytropic equation of state in the scenario of $f(R,T,Q)$ gravity, where $Q=R_{ab}T^{ab}$. We derive the field equations as well as the hydrostatic equilibrium equation and analyze their solutions numerically for $R+\delta Q$ functional form with $\delta$ being a coupling parameter. We discuss the dependence of various physical properties such as pressure, energy density, total mass and surface redshift on the chosen values of the model parameter. The physical acceptability of the proposed model is examined by checking the validity of energy conditions, causality condition, and adiabatic index. We also study the effects arising due to matter-curvature coupling on the compact stellar system. It is found that maximum mass point lies within the observational range which indicates that our model is appropriate to describe dense stellar objects.