Nilpotent groups and unipotent algebraic groups (Q1065147)

The authors begin by sketching the construction of the Malcev completion, interpreting this as a functor \(\mathcal M_ K\) from the category of finitely generated torsionfree nilpotent groups to the category of unipotent algebraic \(K\)-groups (\(K\) any field of characteristic 0). If \(G\) is a finitely generated torsionfree nilpotent group then \({\mathcal M}^ G_ K\) is defined over \(Q\), but the authors show that unipotent algebraic \(K\)-groups are not always defined over \(Q\). The functor \(\mathcal M_ K\) is then used to classify isomorphism classes of unipotent \(Q\)-groups of class 2 and dimension less than or equal to 6. Finally the representation theories of the two categories are considered. \({\mathcal M}_ K\) is a bijection between the finite-dimensional unipotent representations of \(G\) over \(Q\) and the finite-dimensional \(Q\)-rational representations of \({\mathcal M}^ G_ Q\). The cohomology of these groups agrees at the corresponding representations.