Modified Gravity (MOG) and Heavy Neutron Star in Mass Gap

TL;DR

This paper applies Modified Gravity (MOG) theory to explain the existence of a heavy neutron star within the mass gap, potentially resolving the nature of the secondary component in GW190814.

Contribution

It demonstrates that MOG modifies neutron star equations to produce masses in the 2.6-2.7 solar mass range, explaining heavy neutron stars in the mass gap.

Findings

MOG allows neutron stars to reach masses of 2.6-2.7 M_sun.

The secondary in GW190814 could be a heavy neutron star.

Modified TOV equations are key to these results.

Abstract

The modified gravity (MOG) theory is applied to the gravitational wave binary merger GW190814 to demonstrate that the modified Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation for a neutron star can produce a mass $M=2.6 -2.7 M_\odot$, allowing for the binary secondary component to be identified as a heavy neutron star in the hypothesized mass gap $2.5 - 5 M_\odot$.