Crystallized white dwarf stars in scalar-tensor gravity

TL;DR

This paper investigates how massive scalar-tensor gravity theories influence white dwarf stars, revealing changes in their structure, cooling process, and potential to resolve observational discrepancies.

Contribution

It demonstrates that scalar-tensor theories modify white dwarf properties, including mass limits, thermal characteristics, and cooling times, offering new insights into stellar physics and gravity.

Findings

White dwarfs can have sub-Chandrasekhar masses in scalar-tensor gravity.

Cooling ages of white dwarfs are significantly reduced under these theories.

Structural and thermal properties are altered, affecting observational interpretations.

Abstract

We study the effects of massive scalar-tensor theories on the internal properties, crystallization, and cooling process of white dwarf stars that might potentially solve observational tensions. We show that these modified gravity theories alter the inner structure of the star leading to sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs. This further results in a modification of Debye temperature, ion and electron specific heats. Finally, we find that the cooling process is significantly shortened in scalar-tensor theories leading to reduced cooling ages.