Pulse Delay Time Statistics in a Superradiant Laser with Calcium Atoms

Cold samples of calcium atoms are prepared in the metastable ^{3}_{1}state inside an optical cavity resonant with the narrow band (375 Hz) ^{1}_{0} \rightarrow ^{3}_{1}intercombination line at 657 nm. We observe superradiant emission of hyperbolic secant shaped pulses into the cavity with an intensity proportional to the square of the atom number, a duration much shorter than the natural lifetime of the ^{3}_{1}state, and a...