COMMUTATOR SUBGROUPS OF FREE NILPOTENT GROUPS

For fixed m, n ≥ 2, we examine the structure of the nth lower central subgroup γn(F) of the free group F of rank m with respect to a certain finite chain F = F(0) > F(1) > ⋯ > F(l-1) > F(l) = {1} of free groups in which F(k) is of finite rank m(k) and is contained in the kth derived subgroup δk(F) of F. The derived subgroups δk(F/γn(F)) of the free nilpotent group F/γn(F) are isomorphic to the quotients F(k)/(F(k) ∩ γn(F)) and admit presentations of the form 〈xk,1,…,xk,m(k): γ(n)(F(k))〉, where γ(n)(F(k)), contained in γn(F), is a certain partial lower central subgroup of F(k). We give a complete description of γn(F) as a staggered product Π1 ≤ k ≤ l-1(γ〈n〉(F(k))*γ[n](F(k)))F(k+1), where γ〈n〉(F(k)) is a free factor of the derived subgroup [F(k),F(k)] of F(k) having countable infinite rank and generated by a certain set of reduced commutators of weight at least n, and γ[n](F(k)) is the subgroup generated by a certain finite set of products of non-reduced ordered commutators of weight at least n. There are some far-reaching consequences.