Speaker: Pedro Moraes (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica - ITA, São Paulo)
Title: The f(R,T) theories of gravity applied to stellar astrophysics
Abstract: The f(R,T) theories of gravity, proposed by T. Harko, F. S. N. Lobo and collaborators, are well-known and reputed extensions of general relativity. In such a formalism gravitational action, one substitutes the Ricci scalar R, as in standard Einstein-Hilbert action, by a general function of R and T, with the latter being the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. In this seminar, I present some recent outcomes obtained from the application of the f(R,T) theories of gravity in stellar astrophysics. It is shown that such an application may be an important mechanism to elevate the maximum mass limit of neutron stars and white dwarfs. Also, remarkably, the central energy density values obtained for those massive objects are smaller than those obtained from general relativity and f(R) theories.