arXiv2026
This work investigates whether the trace anomaly can diagnose the stellar response to a topological scalar field in tensor multi-scalar gravity. Eleven cold tabulated equations of state (EoSs) were examined, with six selected after conservative GR stability and speed of sound checks over the tabulated density range. Their fiducial topological configurations were compared with the corresponding GR models under complementary matching prescriptions. After controlling for stellar mass and EoS dependence, the GR trace source strength $S_T$ remained strongly correlated with the topological mass response, with a partial Spearman coefficient $ρ= 0.975$ within the sampled fiducial sequences. Near $1.4\,M_\odot$, the topological configurations were systematically more compact, with reductions in the Jordan frame radius of $6.7$--$8.7\%$ at fixed baryonic mass and $0.87$--$1.29\,\mathrm{km}$ at fixed gravitational mass. These shifts are comparable to current uncertainties from the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) and their observational impact depends on the source. Despite the global deformation, the interior effective source remained dominated by matter, with a median topological contribution of about $0.8\%$. The GR matter trace therefore emerges as a useful diagnostic of the fiducial topological stellar response.