We can model the observed behaviour using rate equations. The 3D molasses gives rise to a fixed loading rate R , balanced by the normal atom loss from the lattice proportional to the atom number N , as well as an additional loss mechanism proportional to the emitted light with photon number M . For a fixed cavity frequency, these processes are in equilibrium, leading to a steady-state atom number N . The atom number affects the dressed cavity frequency, which, in turn, affects the number of photons inside the cavity through its resonance condition. Finally, the photon number is also influenced by the width and frequency of the RIR resonance with respect to the dressed cavity frequency. The final lasing frequency is a compromise between the dressed cavity frequency and the raw RIR peak.
