On the Cohomology of the Lie Algebra Arising from the Lower Central Series of a p-Group

Abstract

We study the cohomology H*(A) = Ext_A(k,k) of a locally finite, connected, cocommutative Hopf algebra A over k = F_p. Specifically, we are interested in those algebras A for which H*(A) is generated as an algebra by H^1(A) and H^2(A). We shall call such algebras semi-Koszul. Given a central extension of Hopf algebras F --> A --> B with F monogenic and B semi-Koszul, we use the Cartan-Eilenberg spectral sequence and algebraic Steenrod operations to determine conditions for A to be semi-Koszul. Special attention is given to the case in which A is the restricted universal enveloping algebra of the Lie algebra obtained from the mod-p lower central series of a p-group. We show that the algebras arising in this way from extensions by Z/(p) of an abelian p-group are semi-Koszul. Explicit calculations are carried out for algebras arising from rank two p-groups, and it is shown that these are all semi-Koszul for p > 3.