QCD loop corrections to top quark production and decay at e + e − colliders

We present a computation of QCD next-to-leading order virtual corrections to the top production and decay process at linear colliders. The top quarks are allowed to be off-shell and the production and decay subprocesses are treated together, thus allowing for interference effects. The framework employed for our computation is the double pole approximation (DPA). We describe the implementation of this approximation for the top production and decay process and compare it with the implementation of DPA for the evaluation of QED corrections to the W pair production at LEP II. Similarities and differences between the two cases are pointed out. One result of interest is the incomplete cancelation of interference corrections. Other results include values for the total NLO top production cross section, and the impact the nonfactorizable (interference) corrections have on the top invariant mass distribution.