  We study the potential of high-energy photon colliders for the production of
gluino pairs within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). In this
model, the process gamma gamma -> gluino gluino is mediated by quark/squark box
diagrams with enhancements for up-type quarks/squarks from their larger charges
and for third generation squarks from their large mass splittings, generated by
the mixing of left- and right-handed states. Far above threshold and in
scenarios with very heavy squarks, resolved photons can contribute
significantly at tree level. Taking into account the laser photon
backscattering spectrum, electron and laser beam polarization effects, and
current mass exclusion limits, we find that gluino pair production in
high-energy photon collisions should be visible over large regions of the MSSM
parameter space, contrary to what has been found for e^+e^- annihilation. In
addition, the cross section rises rather steeply, so that a gluino mass
determination with a precision of a few GeV should be feasible for a wide range
of post-LEP benchmark points.
