We have investigated the effect of an external magnetic field on the electron spin lifetime in narrow gap semiconductors (NGS). In zero field, we show that the D'yakonov-Perel process dominates even at low temperatures. In the Faraday configuration it is suppressed and the spin lifetime increases with field, whereas in Voigt configuration, the additional Margulis-Margulis process, which is particularly effective in NGS, shortens the spin lifetime considerably. The spin dynamics are found to be very sensitive to both the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field.
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