Characteristically Nilpotent Algebras

Our aim in this paper is to extend (Theorem 1.7) to general algebras a classical result of Lie algebras due to Léger and Togo [6]. This extension requires, in turn, extension to general algebras of the concept of characteristically nilpotent algebras introduced by Dixmier and Lister [3] for Lie algebras. Based on this extended concept, we introduce in § 2 a new concept of radical (and semisimplicity) for general algebras and Lie triple systems. We study in some detail the consequences of the newly introduced concepts, furnishing necessary examples. With a stronger notion of characteristically nilpotent Mal'cev algebra arising out of these concepts, we obtain (Proposition 3.6) for such an algebra the parallel to the Leger-Tôgô result mentioned at the outset. In § 4, we deal with a further generalization of the concept of characteristic nilpotency leading to extension of very recent results of Chao [1] and Tôgô [12].