Superradiant Rayleigh scattering in a ring cavity

Collective interaction of light with an atomic gas can give rise to superradiant instabilities. We experimentally study the sudden build-up of a reverse light field in a laser-driven high-finesse ring cavity filled with ultracold thermal or condensed atoms. While superradiant Rayleigh scattering from atomic clouds is normally only observed at very low temperatures (i.e. well below $1 μ$K), the presence of the ring cavity enhances cooperativity and allows for superradiance with thermal clouds as hot as several $10 μ$K. A characterization of the superradiance at various temperatures and cooperativity parameters allows us to link it to the collective atomic recoil laser.