On words that are concise in residually finite groups. (Q392389)

A group word \(v\) is said to be concise in a class of groups \(\mathfrak X\) if whenever the set of \(v\)-values is finite on a group \(G\in\mathfrak X\), then the verbal subgroup \(v(G)\) is necessarily finite. P.~Hall asked whether every word is concise in the class of all groups. Examples of \textit{S. V. Ivanov} [Sov. Math. 33, No. 6, 59-70 (1990); translation from Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved., Mat. 1989, No. 6(325), 60-70 (1989; Zbl 0697.20016)] gave a negative answer to this problem. \textit{Yu. I. Merzljakov} [Sov. Math., Dokl. 8, 1538-1541 (1968); translation from Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 177, 1008-1011 (1967; Zbl 0169.03701)] proved that all words are concise in the class of linear groups. \textit{R. F. Turner-Smith} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 41, 166-176 (1966; Zbl 0135.04402)] proved that every word is concise in the class of residually finite groups all of whose homomorphic images are residually finite. \textit{J. Wilson} [Can. J. Math. 26, 608-620 (1974; Zbl 0255.20023)] showed that multilinear (outer) commutator words are concise in the class of residually finite groups. In the present paper it is proved that if \(w\) is a multilinear commutator and \(q\) is a prime-power, then the word \(v=w^q\) is concise in the class of residually finite groups. It is also shown that in the special case \(w=[x_1,\ldots,x_k]\) the word \(w^q\) is boundedly concise in the class of residually finite groups (boundedly concise means that there is a bound for the order of the corresponding verbal subgroup in terms of the word in question and the number of its values). The proofs are based on the techniques of E. Zelmanov in his solution of the Restricted Burnside Problem.