We present the first experimental evidence supporting the postulation that an optical-dipole potential in a condensate undergoing superradiant scattering modifies the structure factor of the system and significantly impacts the scattering. Several co
nsequences of this new detuning-dependent mechanism are discussed and verified experimentally. Our experiments indicate that whenever the generation and propagation growth of a new field are significant, the dynamic response of the condensate can have a profound impact on the scattering process.
