Mass of compact stars in f(T) gravity

Abstract

Abstract The mass of compact objects in General Relativity (GR), which as is well known, is obtained via the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkov (TOV) equations, is a well defined quantity. However, in alternative gravity, this is not in general the case. In the particular case of f(T) gravity, where T is the scalar torsion, some authors consider that this is still an open question, since it is not guaranteed that the same equation used in TOV GR holds. In this paper we consider such an important issue and compare different ways to calculate the mass of compact objects in f(T) gravity. In particular, we argue that one of them, the asymptotic mass, may be the most appropriate way to calculate mass in this theory. We adopt realistic equations of state in all the models presented in this article.