Related papers: Testing Gravity Using Dwarf Stars
The most general scalar-tensor theories of gravity predict a weakening of the gravitational force inside astrophysical bodies. There is a minimum mass for hydrogen burning in stars that is set by the interplay of plasma physics and the…
Scalar-tensor theories of gravity can lead to modifications of the gravitational force inside astrophysical objects. We exhibit that compact stars such as white dwarfs provide a unique set-up to test beyond Horndeski theories of ${\rm G}^3$…
The masses and radii of neutron stars are discussed in general relativity and scalar-tensor theory of gravity and the differences are compared with the current uncertainties stemming from the nuclear equation of state in the relativistic…
We review our present understanding of the physical properties of substellar objects, brown dwarfs and irradiated or non-irradiated gaseous exoplanets. This includes a description of their internal properties, mechanical structure and heat…
We investigate the effects of dark matter annihilation on objects with masses close to the sub-stellar limit, finding that the minimum mass for stable hydrogen burning is larger than the $\sim0.075 M_\odot $ value predicted in the Standard…
Dwarf neutron stars are stable twins of neutron stars but with a maximum mass less than that of neutron stars. Their existence brings into concordance the seemingly conflicting information on the size of neutron stars inferred from…
Brown dwarfs, stars with insufficient mass to burn hydrogen, could contribute to the dark matter in the Galactic disk, galactic halos or even a background critical density. We consider the detectability of such brown dwarfs in various…
We re-examine a deep {\it Hubble Space Telescope} pencil-beam search for red dwarfs, stars just massive enough to burn Hydrogen. The authors of this search (Bahcall, Flynn, Gould \& Kirhakos 1994) found that red dwarfs make up less than 6\%…
Variability studies are an important tool to investigate key properties of stars and brown dwarfs. From photometric monitoring we are able to obtain information about rotation and magnetic activity, which are expected to change in the mass…
This paper is the third in a series on tests of gravity using observations of stars and nearby dwarf galaxies. We carry out four distinct tests using published data on the kinematics and morphology of dwarf galaxies, motivated by the…
In modified gravity theories that seek to explain cosmic acceleration, dwarf galaxies in low density environments can be subject to enhanced forces. The class of scalar-tensor theories, which includes f(R) gravity, predict such a force…
Modified gravity theories can introduce modifications to the Poisson equation in the Newtonian limit. As a result, we expect to see interesting features of these modifications inside stellar objects. White dwarf stars are one of the most…
The incidence of planetary systems orbiting red dwarf stars with masses less than 0.4 solar masses provides a crucial observational test for the Self-Similar Cosmological paradigm. The discrete self-similarity of the paradigm mandates the…
In the context of f(R) gravity theories, we show that the apparent mass of a neutron star as seen from an observer at infinity is numerically calculable but requires careful matching, first at the star's edge, between interior and exterior…
We use the most recent, complete and independent measurements of masses and radii of white dwarfs in binaries to bound the class of non-trivial modified gravity theories, viable after GW170817/GRB170817, using its effect on the mass-radius…
We derive mass functions (MF) for halo red dwarfs (the faintest hydrogen burning stars) and then extrapolate to place limits on the total mass of halo brown dwarfs (stars not quite massive enough to burn hydrogen). The mass functions are…
Many physically motivated extensions to general relativity (GR) predict significant deviations in the properties of spacetime surrounding massive neutron stars. We report the measurement of a 2.01 +/- 0.04 solar mass pulsar in a 2.46-hr…
We explore the internal structures of the white dwarfs in two different modified theories of gravity: (i) scalar-tensor-vector gravity and (ii) beyond Horndeski theories of $G_3$ type. The modification of the gravitational force inside the…
Neutron stars are highly compact astrophysical objects and therefore of utmost relevance to learn about theories of gravity. Whereas the proper equation of state of the nuclear matter inside neutron stars is not yet known, and a wide range…
The mass-radius relation of white dwarfs is largely determined by the equation of state of degenerate electrons, which causes the stellar radius to decrease as mass increases. Here we observationally measure this relation using the…