Gravitational Higgs Mechanism in Neutron Star Interiors
arXiv:1606.03981 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.95.084003
Abstract
We suggest that nonminimally coupled scalar fields can lead to modifications of the microphysics in the interiors of relativistic stars. As a concrete example, we consider the generation of a non-zero photon mass in such high-density environments. This is achieved by means of a light gravitational scalar, and the scalarization phase transition in scalar-tensor theories of gravitation. Two distinct models are presented, and phenomenological implications are briefly discussed.
5 pages