On varieties of groups satisfying an Engel type identity. (Q897776)

The solution of the restricted Burnside problem shows that the class of locally finite (locally nilpotent) groups of exponent \(m\) is a variety for every integer \(m\). This is the key to the results of this paper. Let \(v\) be a multilinear commutator (i.e. with no repetition of variables), and \(w=v^m\) for some integer \(m\). Assume that \(w(G)\) consists of \(n\)-Engel elements of \(G\) only. The class of groups \(G\) with this condition is a variety if (i) the verbal subgroup \(w(G)\) is locally nilpotent OR (ii) \(m\) is a prime power and \(v(G)\) has an ascending normal series with locally soluble or locally finite quotients (Theorem A, B). It is open whether the restriction of \(m\) in (ii) is essential. Theorem B is further generalized by replacing \(v\) by a product \(u(x_{1,1},\ldots,x_{1,k})\cdots u(x_{r,1},\dots,x_{r,k})\) of \(r\leq 896\) multilinear commutators of the same form: Also in this case we have a variety. The bound \(896\) follows from a result of Nikolov and Segal.