Dynamical transition to spontaneous scalarization in neutron stars: The massive scalar field scenario

Abstract: We analyze numerically the dynamical transition to spontaneous scalarization in neutron stars in the framework of a scalar-tensor theory of gravity where the scalar field is free but massive, and it is coupled nonminimally to gravity in the Jordan frame. We show that the quasistatic configuration of the star that settles after the transition can avoid the observational constraints imposed on the amount of scalarization by several observations in binary systems due to the presence of the mass term, which suppresses the range of the scalar field. We also study the impact of the scalar field mass on the total mass of the star relative to the massless scenario.