Probing the QCD pomeron in doubly tagged e(+)e(-) collisions

We calculate the total cross-section for gamma*gamma* collisions and for th e process e(+)e(-)-->e(+)e(-)+ hadrons with two tagged leptons assuming dom inance of the QCD pomeron exchange. We solve the BFKL equation including th e dominant subleading effects generated by the consistency constraint which restricts the available phase-space of the emitted gluons to the region in which the virtuality of the exchanged gluons is dominated by their transve rse momentum squared. Estimate of the possible soft pomeron contribution to the gamma*y* cross-section is also presented. At very high CM energies W t he calculated total gamma*gamma* cross-section exhibits effective power-law (W-2)(lambda) behaviour with lambda similar to 0.3. We confront our result s with the recent measurements at LEP and give predictions for the energies which can be accessible at TESLA and at other future linear e(+)e(-) colli ders. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.