Can gravitational vacuum condensate stars be a dark energy source?

Abstract

Abstract Gravitational vacuum condensate stars, also known as gravastars, have been proposed as an alternative to black holes. Their interior contains a perfect fluid with an equation of state akin to that of a cosmological constant. For this reason, they have recently been considered as a possible astrophysical source of dark energy. In this work we argue that gravitational vacuum condensate stars cannot be the source of dark energy and highlight that a direct coupling of their mass to the dynamics of the Universe would lead to an additional velocity dependent acceleration, damping their motion with respect to the cosmological frame. We briefly discuss the potential impact of this additional acceleration in the context of a recent proposal that the observed mass growth of compact objects at the core of elliptical galaxies might result from such a cosmological coupling.