On a present status of the gathering model for cumulative meson production

Physical foundations of the ''gathering'' model are discussed. It is shown that the ''gathering'' of nucleons in a collective interaction is a direct consequence of the modern notions on the behaviour of colour forces at large distances. An analytical variant of the model is presented which allows us to much simplify the calculation procedure. The results obtained are compared with the data on cumulative π- and K-meson production. Specific features of the model application for relativistic nucleus-nucleus interactions are discussed