CP Violation in the Top-Quark Pair Production at a Next Linear Collider

We provide a detailed, model-independent, study for CP violation effects due to the T -odd top-quark electric dipole moment (EDM) and weak dipole moment (WDM) in the top-quark pair production via e+e− and two-photon annihilation at a next e+e− linear collider (NLC). There are two methods in detecting CP violation effects in these processes. One method makes use of measurements of various spin correlations in the final decay products of the produced top-quark pair, while the other is to measure various CP -odd polarization asymmetry effects of the initial states. In the e+e− case only the first method can be used, and in the γγ case both methods can be employed. We provide a complete classification of angular correlations of the t and t̄ decay products under CP and CPT̃ which greatly faciliate CP tests in the e+e− mode. Concentrating on the second method with the Compton back-scattered high-energetic laser light off the electron or positron beam in the two-photon mode, we construct two CP -odd and CPT̃ -even initial polarization configurations and apply them to investigating CP -violating effects due to the top-quark EDM. With a typical set of experimental parameters at the NLC, we compare the 1-σ sensitivities to the top-quark EDM and WDM in the e+e− mode and the two-photon mode. Some model expectation values of the T -odd parameters are compared with the results.