Phase separation and the segregation principle in the infinite-U spinless Falicov-Kimball model

The simplest statistical-mechanical model of crystalline formation (or allo y formation) that includes electronic degrees of freedom is solved exactly in the limit of large spatial dimensions and infinite interaction strength. The solutions contain both second-order phase transitions and first-order phase transitions (that involve phase separation or segregation) which are likely to illustrate the precursor physics behind the static charge-stripe ordering in cuprate systems. In addition, we find that the spinodal-decompo sition temperature satisfies an approximate scaling law.