The currently well-developed models for equations of state (EoSs) have been severely impacted by recent measurements of neutron stars with a small radius and/or large mass. To explain these measurements, the theory ...The currently well-developed models for equations of state (EoSs) have been severely impacted by recent measurements of neutron stars with a small radius and/or large mass. To explain these measurements, the theory of gravitational field shielding by a scalar field is applied. This theory was recently developed in accor- dance with the five-dimensional (5D) fully covariant Kaluza-Klein (KK) theory that has successfully unified Einstein's general relativity and Maxwell's electromagnetic theory. It is shown that a massive, compact neutron star can generate a strong scalar field, which can significantly shield or reduce its gravitational field, thus making it more massive and more compact. The mass-radius relation developed under this type of modified gravity can be consistent with these recent measurements of neutron stars. In addition, the effect of gravitational field shielding helps explain why the supernova explosions of some very massive stars (e.g.9 40 MQ as measured recently) actually formed neutron stars rather than black holes as expected. The EoS models, ruled out by measurements of small radius and/or large mass neutron stars according to the the- ory of general relativity, can still work well in terms of the 5D fully covariant KK theory with a scalar field.展开更多
基金supported by NASA EPSCoR(NNX07AL52A)NSF CISMand REU,the Alabama A&M University(AAMU)Title Ⅲ programsthe National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.40890161)
文摘The currently well-developed models for equations of state (EoSs) have been severely impacted by recent measurements of neutron stars with a small radius and/or large mass. To explain these measurements, the theory of gravitational field shielding by a scalar field is applied. This theory was recently developed in accor- dance with the five-dimensional (5D) fully covariant Kaluza-Klein (KK) theory that has successfully unified Einstein's general relativity and Maxwell's electromagnetic theory. It is shown that a massive, compact neutron star can generate a strong scalar field, which can significantly shield or reduce its gravitational field, thus making it more massive and more compact. The mass-radius relation developed under this type of modified gravity can be consistent with these recent measurements of neutron stars. In addition, the effect of gravitational field shielding helps explain why the supernova explosions of some very massive stars (e.g.9 40 MQ as measured recently) actually formed neutron stars rather than black holes as expected. The EoS models, ruled out by measurements of small radius and/or large mass neutron stars according to the the- ory of general relativity, can still work well in terms of the 5D fully covariant KK theory with a scalar field.