Wormholes and energy conditions in $f(R,T)$ gravity

Abstract: We explore the existence of wormholes in the context of $f(R,T)$ gravity. The $f(R,T)$ theory is a curvature-matter coupled modified gravity that depends on an arbitrary function of the Ricci scalar $R$ and the trace of the stress-energy tensor $T$. In this work, we adopt two different choices for the matter Lagrangian density ($\mathcal{L}_m= \mathcal{P}$ and $\mathcal{L}_m= p_r$) and investigate the impact of each one on wormhole structure. By adequately specifying the redshift function and the shape function, we found a variety of exact wormhole solutions in the theory. Our finding indicates that, for both classes of wormholes the energy density is always positive throughout the spacetime, while the radial pressure is negative. This means exotic matter is necessary for the existence of wormholes in $f(R,T)$ gravity.