Gravitational collapse of compact stars in $ f(R) = \xi R^4 $ gravity

Model of gravitational collapse of anisotropic compact stars in a new theory of $f(R)$ gravity has been developed. The author considers the modified gravity model of $f(R) = \xi R^4$ to investigate a physically acceptable model of gravitational collapse of anisotropic compact stars. First, the author presents a brief review of the development of field equations of gravitational collapse in $f(R)$ gravity for a particular interior metric for compact stars. Then analytical solutions for various physical quantities of collapsing anisotropic compact stars in $\xi R^4$ gravity have been developed. By analyzing plots of various physical parameters and conditions, it is shown that the model is physically acceptable for describing the gravitational collapse of anisotropic compact stars in $f(R) = \xi R^4$ gravity.