A characterization of orbit closure and applications (Q1103708)

\textit{T. Skjelbred} and \textit{T. Sund} [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. A 286, 241-242 (1978; Zbl 0375.17006)] studied the central extensions with kernel \(k^ r\) of n-r dimensional nilpotent Lie algebras \({\mathfrak g}\) over an algebraically closed field. Let \({\mathbb{B}}\) be the open set consisting of 2-cocycles \(B\in Z^ 2({\mathfrak g},k^ r)\) for which \(B^{\perp}\) meets trivially the center of \({\mathfrak g}\), \({\mathfrak g}(B)\) be the algebra obtained by central extension from \({\mathfrak g}\) by \(k^ r\) via B, and G be the automorphism group of the category of central extensions from \({\mathfrak g}\) by \(k^ r\). The mapping \(B\to {\mathfrak g}(B)\) induces a one-to-one mapping from \({\mathbb{B}}/G\) into the space \(N_ n/GL_ n(k)\) of isomorphic classes of nilpotent Lie algebras on \(k^ n\). They obtained in this way an interesting principle of classification for nilpotent Lie algebras. In this paper the authors improve that result by showing that the mapping \(B\to {\mathfrak g}(B)\) preserves orbit closure. This work allows in particular to obtain contractions of \({\mathfrak g}(B)\) (when \({\mathfrak g}\) is fixed) from the contractions of B. A counter-example is given at the end of the article. The method uses a result of \textit{A. Lubotzky} and \textit{A. R. Magid} [Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 336 (1985; Zbl 0598.14042)] for the varieties of representations of groups, applied here to varieties of Lie algebras.