Probing light scalars with not quite black holes

The rapid progress in gravitational wave astronomy has provided an opportunity for investigating the presence of long-range scalar forces that exclusively manifest around astrophysical black holes. In this paper, we explore a new possibility in this context, particularly in connection to the hypothesis that astrophysical black holes might be horizonless ultracompact objects (UCOs). In the absence of horizons, UCOs could feature unique interiors with extreme environments. This could help generate non-trivial scalar profiles and significant scalar charges. For demonstration, we consider 2-2-holes in quadratic gravity as a concrete example of UCOs. These objects can be formed by ordinary gases and closely resemble black holes externally. However, they have distinct interiors characterized by high curvatures and substantial redshift. In particular, the gases inside could reach extremely high temperatures or densities, making them an ideal object for investigating the generation of scalar profiles by UCOs. Within a minimal model of the scalar field, we find that this unique environment enables the generation of a substantial scalar charge for astrophysical 2-2-holes, which is challenging for other stellar objects. The predicted scalar charge-to-mass ratio of 2-2-holes remains nearly constant across a wide range of masses, offering different predictions for gravitational wave observations compared to other mechanisms.