Mini little Higgs and dark matter

We construct a little Higgs model with the most minimal extension of the standard model gauge group by an extra U(1) gauge symmetry. For specific charge assignments of scalars, an approximate U(3) global symmetry appears in the cutoff-squared scalar mass terms generated from gauge bosons at one-loop level. Hence, the Higgs boson, identified as a pseudo-Goldstone boson of the broken global symmetry. has its mass radiatively protected up to scales of 5-10 TeV. In this model, a Z(2) symmetry, ensuring the two U(1) gauge groups to be identical, also makes the extra massive neutral gauge boson stable and a viable dark matter candidate with a promising prospect of direct detection. Published by Elsevier B.V.