Physically viable anisotropic stellar configurations in Rastall theory

In this work, we present a novel class of spherically symmetric anisotropic solutions describing compact stellar objects within the framework of Rastall gravity. The interior solution is constructed by invoking the Karmarkar condition, thereby restricting the spacetime to embedding class one and reducing the system to a solvable form. To assess the physical applicability of the model, we employ observational data from six compact stars: Cen X-3, SAX J 1808.4-3658, PSR J038-0482, LMC X-4, Her X-1, and SMC X-1. For all selected configurations, the metric potentials and matter variables are found to be regular and physically well-behaved throughout the stellar interior. The model satisfies all energy conditions and exhibits dynamical stability, as verified by the causality and Herrera’s cracking conditions. Our findings establish that the proposed anisotropic solution in Rastall gravity offers a viable and stable description of realistic compact stars.