Model independent constraints on contact interactions from polarized Bhabha scattering at LC

Abstract

We discuss electron-electron contact-interaction searches in the process e^+e^- -->e^+e^- at a future e^+e^- Linear Collider with c.m. energy \sqrt{s}=0.5 TeV and with both beams longitudinally polarized. Our analysis is based on the measurement of the polarized differential cross sections, and allows to simultaneously take into account the general set of contact interaction couplings as independent, non-zero, parameters thus avoiding simplifying, model-dependent, assumptions. We evaluate the corresponding model-independent constraints on the coupling constants, emphasizing the role of beam polarization, and make a comparison with the case of e^+e^- -->\mu^+\mu^-.