Journal of Statistical Physics, Vol. 48, Nos. 1/2, 1987. p. 215-230.
A novel representation is proposed of the liquid state in a microcavity, the collective nature of that state being taken into account. In this case a microinclusion undergoing melting is described as a single two-level system. The phase transition of melting in a close-packed system of such inclusions embedded in an elastic medium is described rigorously within the framework of the self-consistent approach. When an additional intermediate premelting state is taken into account, the curve of the steady-state phase transition with a critical point that happens on the phase diagram can be transformed in different ways, depending on the values of the specific parameters. In the simplest case shortening of the straight line takes place; bending is also possible. There is a region of the parameters where the critical line is split. In the latter case the existence of the triple point is also possible. The results obtained are in agreement with the experimental data.