Impact of non-conservative gravity on massive compact objects: Insights from MIT bag model

In recent years, the investigation of physically viable massive compact objects within the framework of non-conservative theories of gravity has attracted considerable attention from the astrophysical community. The inclusion of realistic matter sources, such as those described by the MIT bag model. In this analysis, we explore new structural properties of a static, anisotropic, and spherically symmetric compact sphere, incorporating the characteristics of strange-quark matter as described by the simplest phenomenological profile of the MIT bag model. To achieve this, we derive a general class of exact solutions to the modified field equations within the cosmologically well-consistent $R+2\beta T$ gravity model. This is accomplished by employing the Tolman-$IV$ spacetime as a seed solution in conjunction with the bag Model profile. The bag constant $B_g$ and other unknown parameters are determined by smooth boundary matching between the interior and exterior geometries at the hypersurface. Based on these obtained values, we rigorously examine and validate our model solutions against observational data from the well-known compact star candidate $4U1608-52$. This is achieved by testing various physical conditions, including the viability of spacetime functions, the physical credibility of matter components, the feasibility of state variables, and the fulfillment of energy conditions, alongside several stability constraints. Additionally, we analyze structural properties such as the mass–radius relation, compactification factor, surface redshift, and moment of inertia to ensure the model’s stability and physical reliability. Interestingly, our investigation predicts that the optimal mass and compactness of the strange-quark compact star candidate exceed observational data, providing strong implications within this alternative gravity framework. This suggests that such a model has the potential to surpass conventional observational predictions. Ultimately, our findings robustly confirm that the presented outcomes are physically viable and well-consistent, effectively simulating a stable ultra-dense strange-quark star akin to the formation of massive neutron stars. These results offer novel insights into the relativistic modeling of stellar astrophysical phenomena, emphasizing the intricate interplay between alternative gravity theories and strange-quark matter distributions.