2-supernilpotent Mal'cev algebras (Q382217)

The concept of a commutator can be generalized from normal subgroups of a group to congruences of a general algebraic structure (see [\textit{R. Freese} and \textit{R. McKenzie}, Commutator theory for congruence modular varieties. Cambridge etc.: Cambridge University Press (1987; Zbl 0636.08001)]). \textit{A. Bulatov} [in: Contrib. Gen. Algebra. 13, 41--54 (2001; Zbl 0986.08003)] extended this binary commutator further to \(n\)-ary commutators on Mal'tsev algebras. An algebra \(A\) is \((n-1)\)-supernilpotent if \([1,\dots,1] = 0\) for the \(n\)-ary commutator. Here \(1\) denotes the full congruence and \(0\) the trivial congruence on \(A\). The author shows that a Mal'tsev algebra is \(2\)-supernilpotent (that is, \([1,1,1] = 0\)) iff it is polynomially equivalent to an expansion of a group with certain operations. This extends a result by Gumm that a Mal'tsev algebra is abelian (that is, \([1,1] = 0\)) iff it is polynomially equivalent to a module.