Spontaneous tensorization from curvature coupling and beyond

Abstract

We generalize the recently introduced extended scalar-tensor-Gauss-Bonnet (ESTGB) theories and their close relatives to include spontaneous growth of nonscalar fields such as vectors. This is analogous to the program that developed spontaneous tensorization from the original spontaneous scalarization theory of Damour and Esposito-Farese (DEF). The new larger family of theories conserves the appeal of the DEF theory in terms of conforming to weak-field tests and also providing large signals in strong gravity. Moreover, they provide a much richer phenomenology including spontaneous tensorization of black holes as in ESTGB. These theories, together with other possible future extensions that we discuss, testify to the ubiquity of spontaneous growth in gravity. We also note that theories with derivative coupling require special attention since they can lead to potentially problematic higher derivatives in the equations of motion.