On the nilpotency of rational \(H\)-spaces (Q2583060)

Let \(Z\) be a simply connected rational space. The author shows that the Whitehead length \(\mathbf{WL}(Z)\) of \(Z\) is equal to the nilpotency \(\mathbf{nil}(\Omega Z)\) of \(\Omega Z\). Here, the Whitehead length \(\mathbf{WL}(X)\) of a space \(X\) is the least integer \(n\) such that all \((n+1)\)-fold Whitehead products vanish, and the nilpotency \(\mathbf{nil}(X)\) of an associative \(H\)-space \(X\) is the least \(n\) such that the \((n+1)\)-fold commutator is null homotopic. The proof is by comparing these invariants with another numerical one, which is called the \(d_1\)-depth of \(Z\). The \(d_1\)-depth of a space is defined by the one of its minimal model.