Charged neutron stars and observational tests of a dark force weaker than gravity

Abstract

We discuss the possibility of exploring an unbroken U(1) gauge interaction in the dark sector by means of gravitational waves. Dark sector states charged under the dark force can give a macroscopic charge to astronomical bodies. Yet the requirement of having gravitationally bounded stars limits this charge to negligible values if the force has a sizeable strength. Gravitational tests are only possible if the dark force is weaker than gravity. By solving the Einstein-Maxwell field equations, we study in detail an explicit model for dark charge generation and separation in a neutron star. Charged states originate from the decay of neutrons inside the star into three dark fermions; we show that in this model the equation of state is consistent with limits on neutron star masses and tidal deformability. We find that while the dark force can be observed in binary mergers (making them an optimal observational test even though with limited precision), it is screened in binary pulsars (for which more precise data exist). The emitted radiation in the inspiral phase of a binary system is modified and the dark force tested at the level of the uncertainty of the experimental detection. The test covers a region where current limits on deviations from Newton inverse-squared law come from geophysical and laser-ranging observations.