Data implying formation of a moving source in collisions of carbon-12 nuclei with various target nuclei at 3.6 GeV/nucleon

Inclusive spectra of protons emitted in the interaction of 12C-projectiles at an energy of 3.6 GeV/nucleon and C, Cu, Sn and Pb target nuclei were measured. The analysis of the experimental data suggests that in all these interactions the main contribution to proton cross sections in the investigated kinematic region is due to emission from a moving source with a rapidity which differs greatly from the target nucleus rapidity, ysub(t), as well as from that of the effective fireball. The properties of this source such as the excitation energy depend only slightly on the combination of the colliding nuclei. (orig.)