Current induced Kerr effect in weakly ionized gases in the presence of a magnetic field

The current induced Kerr effect in the presence of a homogeneous magnetic field is treated for binary mixtures of neutral molecules and ions. The starting point is a system of moment equations derived from the linearized Waldmann-Snider equation. The dialectric tensor is calculated and studied in particular for a lorentzian mixture in perpendicular electric and magnetic fields. It is shown that the magnetic field causes a decrease of briefringence as well as a rotation of the principal axes of the dielectric tensor.