Determining Vtb at electron-positron colliders

Verifying V-tb similar or equal to 1 is critical to test the three generation assumption of the Standard Model. So far our best knowledge of V-tb is inferred either from the 3 x 3 unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix or from single top-quark productions upon the assumption of universal weak couplings. The unitarity could be relaxed in new physics models with extra heavy quarks and the universality of weak couplings could also be broken if the Wtb coupling is modified in new physics models. In this paper we propose to measure V-tb in the process of e(+)e(-) -> t (t) over bar without prior knowledge of the number of fermion generations or the strength of the Wtb coupling. Using an effective Lagrangian approach, we perform a model-independent analysis of the interactions among electroweak gauge bosons and the third generation quarks, i.e. the Wtb, Zt (t) over bar and Zb (b) over bar couplings. The electroweak symmetry of the Standard Model specifies a pattern of deviations of the Z-t(L)-t(L) and W-t(L)-b(L) couplings after one imposes the known experimental constraint on the Z-b(L)-b(L) coupling. We demonstrate that, making use of the predicted pattern and the accurate measurements of top-quark mass and width from the energy threshold scan experiments, one can determine V-tb from the cross section and the forward-backward asymmetry of top-quark pair production at an unpolarized electron-positron collider.