Description
The f(R) theories of gravity rely on the chameleon mechanism to pass the solar system tests. Methods used in the literature are based in a scalar-tensorial identification in the Einstein frame. This approach has a disadvantage because it entails the definition of new variables being the inversion of the old variables not always well defined. To avoid this problem, we develop a novel and selfconsistent method that departs from a simple but fully relativistic system of differential equations for a compact object in a static and spherically symmetric spacetime, with suitable linearizations for non-relativistic objects like the Sun. We show that under certain conditions there is a screening effect that can lead to a Post-Newtonian Parameter γ which is compatible with the observational bounds. To illustrate this new method, we analyze several specific f(R) models and show which of them are able to satisfy those bounds.
