TOP-QUARK PRODUCTION IN THE REACTION E(-)-]EVTB AT LINEAR COLLIDER ENERGIES()E()

The complete tree-level cross sections for the reaction e(+)e(-) --> e vtb are computed for top masses of 160 to 200 GeV at center-of-mass en ergies between 0.2 and 2.0 TeV using the packages CompHEP and GRACE. I t is demonstrated that <t(t)over bar>-pair production dominates around root s = 0.5 TeV, whereas soft photon t-channel exchange contribution s grow with increasing energy such that above 1.5 TeV it dominates. De tailed cross section considerations close to the <t(t)over bar> thresh old reveals some peculiar properties. It is shown that a precise top q uark mass determination is not significantly hampered by the existence of non-<t(t)over bar> diagrams. With desirable assumptions on linear collider luminosities the CKM matrix element \V-tb\ might be measured best at or close to root s = 2 TeV.