Constraints on Buchdahl-Inspired Gravity from Future Pulsar Timing near Sgr A*

Abstract

Future pulsar timing observations near Sgr~A* offer a unique probe of gravitational physics in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole. We forecast the ability of such measurements to constrain a Buchdahl-inspired $R^2$ gravity, parameterized by a single deviation parameter $ε$, using a timing framework that self-consistently integrates orbital dynamics with light-propagation delays and preserves the full timing solution across the observing span. Through Fisher-matrix forecasts for a representative pulsar, we systematically isolate how the precision on $ε$ depends on orbital geometry. We find that shorter orbital periods and higher eccentricities significantly enhance sensitivity, consistent with a substantial contribution from observations near periastron. As a benchmark comparison, we further consider a hypothetical pulsar on an S2-like orbit ($P_b=16~{\rm yr}$, $e=0.88$) and obtain a statistical sensitivity of $σ_ε\sim 10^{-4}$ within the adopted weak-field, static, and spherically symmetric timing model. This sensitivity is comparable to the natural order-of-magnitude truncation scale of the 1PN expansion and should not be interpreted as a complete forecast for the real Sgr~A* system. Under the adopted idealized assumptions, the characteristic statistical scale is several orders of magnitude below the current S2 95\% confidence interval half-width ($|ε|_{\rm S2}^{\rm 95\%}\approx 0.56$), though this comparison is heuristic given the differing confidence levels. These trends provide quantitative guidance for target selection and campaign design in future Galactic-center pulsar searches.