Stellar Structure Treatment of Quadratic Gravity

A scheme for considering stellar structure by taking advantage of the quadratic theory of gravitation in four-dimensions is proposed, citing the fact that the possible deviation of gravity in astrophysical systems from the Newtonian inverse square law can be explained through the use of this theory. A modified Lane-Emden equation is derived by making use of the linearized static field equation of quadratic gravity and the polytropic equation of state for a fluid. The influence on stellar structure of the additional force included in quadratic gravity is investigated. It is shown that the additional force can be treated as a perturbation of a bound system by solutions of the modified Lane-Emden equation and an order-of-magnitude analysis.