Loop induced decays of the little Higgs:: H→gg, γγ

We analyze the loop induced decays of the Higgs boson into pairs of gluons and photons in the littlest Higgs model. We find that the deviation of the partial widths for these decays relative to their Standard Model values scales with 1/f(2), where f similar to TeV is the mass scale of the new heavy particles in the model. For f = 1 TeV, Gamma(H --> gg) is reduced by 5-10% and Gamma(H --> gammagamma) is modified by +10% to -20% compared to their Standard Model values. While the LHC and a linear e(+)e(-) collider would be sensitive to these deviations only for relatively low values of f; I TeV, a photon collider could probe the deviation in Gamma(H --> gammagamma) up to f less than or similar to 1.8 (1.2) TeV at the 2 (5) sigma level. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.