The diagonal spin basis and calculation of processes involving polarized particles

The review of developed by the authors new techniques for covariant calculation of matrix elements in QED, the so-called formalism of "Diagonal Spin Basis" (DSB), is presented. In DSB spin 4-vectors of in- and out- fermions are expressed just in terms of their 4-momenta. In this approach the little Lorentz group, common for the initial and final states,is realized. This brings the spin operators of in- and out-particles to coincidence. The developed approach is valid both for massive fermions and for massless ones. There occur no problems with accounting for spin flip amplitudes in it. Just 4-momenta of particles participating in reactions are required in it to construct the mathematical apparatus for calculations of matrix elements. We apply this formalism to the next processes: 1) M\"oller and Bhabha bremsstrahlung (e±e⁻ → e±e⁻ γ) in the ultrarelativistic limit when initial particles and photon are helicity polarized; 2) Compton back-scattering of photons of intensive circularly polarized laser wave on a beam of longitudinally polarized ultrarelativistic electrons (e+nγ₀ → e+γ); 3) e⁺e⁻-pair production by a hard photon in simultaneous collision with several laser beam photons (γ+n γ₀ → e⁺ + e⁻); 4) Bethe-Heitler process in the case of a linearly polarized photon emission by an electron with account for proton recoil and form factors; 5) the reaction ep → ep γ with proton polarizability being taken into account in the kinematics when proton bremsstrahlung dominates; 6) orthopositronium 3-photon annihilation (e⁺e⁻ → 3 γ).