Slowly rotating covariant anisotropic objects

The equilibrium configurations of slowly rotating anisotropic self-gravitating fluids are computed using the extended Hartle structure equations, including anisotropic effects, derived in our previous paper. We focus on the so-called $\mathcal{C}$-star, whose anisotropic pressure follows a fully covariant equation of state (EoS), while a standard polytrope describes the radial pressure. We determine surface and integral properties, such as the moment of inertia, mass change, mass quadrupole moment, and ellipticity. Notably, for certain values of the compactness parameter, highly anisotropic $\mathcal{C}$-stars exhibit a prolate shape rather than the typical oblate form, an intriguing behavior also observed in other anisotropic systems like Bowers-Liang spheres and stars governed by a quasi-local EoS. Although the $\mathcal{C}$-stars considered in this study are limited by stability criteria and cannot sustain compactness beyond $M/R\approx0.38$, we found indications that certain rotational perturbations exhibit similarities to those observed in other ultracompact systems approaching the black hole limit.