We derive threshold equations for self-organization of laser driven atoms in an optical cavity. Our analysis includes probing with either a traveling wave or a retro reflected lattice. These two scenarios lead to qualitatively different behavior in t
erms of the response of the system as a function of cavity detuning with respect to the probe. In addition our analysis includes the effects of an intra-cavity trapping potential which is also shown to impact on the threshold condition. We specifically consider the case of an intra-cavity lattice but our treatment can easily be modified to other geometries.
We study the transmission spectra of ultracold rubidium atoms coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity. Under weak probing with pi-polarized light, the linear response of the system is that of a collective spin with multiple levels coupled to a singl
e mode of the cavity. By varying the atom number, we change the collective coupling of the system. We observe the change in transmission spectra when going from a regime where the collective coupling is much smaller than the separation of the atomic levels to a regime where both are of comparable size. The observations are in good agreement with a reduced model we developed for our system.
