The finite basis question for varieties of groups -- some recent results (Q1409611)

In 1937, \textit{B. H. Neumann} asked whether every variety of groups had a finite basis for its laws (identical relations) [Math. Ann. 114, 506-525 (1937; Zbl 0016.35102)], but it was not until the 1970s that examples of non-finitely based varieties were found. Meanwhile, several classes of groups (varieties generated by finite groups, nilpotent varieties and metabelian varieties) had been shown to be finitely based. The best result in this direction was proved by \textit{A. Krasil'nikov} in 1990 [Izv. Akad. Nauk. SSSR, Ser. Mat. 54, No. 6, 1181-1195 (1990; Zbl 0728.20025); translation in Math. USSR, Izv. 37, No. 3, 539-553 (1991)]: nilpotent-by-Abelian varieties are finitely based. This paper gives a survey of results of the last decade; mainly directed at finding non-finitely based varieties satisfying ever stronger laws. \textit{R. M. Bryant} and \textit{A. N. Krasil'nikov} [Algebra, Moscow, 1998, de Gruyter, Berlin, 77-84 (2000; Zbl 0962.20019)] proved that the variety defined by the laws \(x^8=1\) and \([[x_1,x_2,x_3],[x_4,x_5,x_6],[x_7,x_8]]=1\) has a non-finitely based subvariety and \textit{A. Krasil'nikov} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. (to appear)] showed that an explicit such subvariety was obtained if the infinite set of laws \([[x_1,x_2,x_3],x_1,x_1^2,x_4^2,\dots,x_k^2,[x_1^{-1},x_2^{-1},x_3^{-1}]]\), \(k=3,4,\dots\) were added. Another problem along these lines is the construction of a `limit variety', namely a non-finitely based variety all of whose proper subvarieties are finitely based. By Zorn's Lemma, such varieties must exist but no explicit examples were known, although the authors of this paper have constructed a limit variety of bigroups. Varieties of prime power exponent are also considered and the paper ends with some miscellaneous results, including the existence of a metanilpotent variety whose relatively free groups are torsion-free. A number of open problems are mentioned.