Donutization Inside Neutron Stars: Shell-Localized Scalar Fields

Abstract

Heavy scalar fields ($m_{\ddot{I}}•\gtrsim 10^{-9}$ eV) in scalar-tensor gravity are expected to be hidden from neutron-star observations because their Compton wavelength is sub-stellar. We show that neutron stars can nevertheless scalarize by forming a shell-localized profile, suppressed at their center and exterior but peaked in their interior. This \emph{donutization} reshapes the effective equation of state, making hadronic stars mimic quark-star mass-radius behavior or hybrid-star behavior with split stable branches, and breaks the $I$--$Q$ relation, while remaining hidden from binary pulsar observations.

10+3 pages, 8 figures. Comments welcome!