RADIATIVE-CORRECTIONS TO GAMMA-GAMMA-]W- IN THE ELECTROWEAK STANDARD MODEL(W)

The cross section for gamma gamma --> W+W- with arbitrary polarized ph otons and W bosons is calculated within the electroweak Standard Model including the complete virtual and soft-photonic O(alpha) corrections . We present a detailed numerical discussion of the complete radiative corrections and an analytical investigation of the leading correction s, It turns our that in the on-shell renormalization scheme for fixed M(w) no leading corrections associated with the running of alpha or he avy top-quark and Higgs-boson masses occur. The corrections are typica lly of the order of 10%. They reach, however, larger values where the lowest-order cross sections are suppressed.