Neutron stars in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

Xu, Rui

Modifying general relativity (GR) with an additional scalar field is a promising attempt to address issues of dark matter and dark energy in cosmology. It can also generate solutions different from those in GR for compact stars. We study the solutions for neutron stars when gravity is modified by a scalar field coupled with the Gauss-Bonnet invariant, causing the remarkable phenomenon of spontaneous scalarization. I will first talk about the spherical solutions for neutron stars. Then I will present the results on astrophysical observables including the tidal deformability and the moment of inertia of the neutron stars, which are computed using the perturbation theory in the spherical background spacetime.