Quadratic envelope of the category of class two nilpotent groups

Abstract

We exhibit an extension of the category of class two nilpotent groups. It has the same objects but, unlike the latter, its morphisms are closed under pointwise addition of maps. At the same time the class of its morphisms is much smaller than the class of all maps. In fact, the morphisms are quadratic maps of very special kind. It is indicated that classification of various class two nilpotent groups up to isomorphism in this larger category can give interesting results.