Effects of modified theories of gravity on neutrino pair annihilation energy deposition near neutron stars

TL;DR

This paper investigates how extended theories of gravity alter neutrino pair annihilation energy deposition near neutron stars, potentially impacting gamma-ray burst mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a modified gravity framework to analyze neutrino annihilation near neutron stars, revealing changes in energy deposition rates compared to General Relativity.

Findings

Modified theories increase the photon-sphere radius.

Energy deposition rates are enhanced near the photon sphere.

Potential implications for gamma-ray burst generation.

Abstract

We study the neutrino pairs annihilation into electron-positron pairs ($\nu+{\bar \nu}\to e^- + e^+$) near the surface of a neutron star. The analysis is performed in the framework of extended theories of gravity. The latter induce a modification of the minimum photon-sphere radius ($R_{ph}$) and the maximum energy deposition rate near to $R_{ph}$, as compared to ones of General Relativity. These results might lead to an efficient mechanism for generating GRBs.