This paper shows how the Bonifacio-Lugiato mean-field model of atomic
superfluorescence, which is particularly attractive because it deals w
ith a crystalline array of emitters, can be extended to the nuclear ca
se. However, limits exist on the validity of certain approximations us
ed in the development of the model. In particular, a numerical instabi
lity that increases without bound is shown to exist in the non-Markovi
an case, placing in doubt the application of the semiclassical theory
derived for the non-Markovian case.