Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2009
Throughout this paper D denotes a division ring with centre F and n a positive integer. A subgroup G of GL(n,D) is absolutely irreducible if the F-subalgebra F[G] enerated by G is the full matrix ring Dn ×n. It is completely reducible (resp. irreducible) if row n-space Dn over D is completely reducible (resp. irreducible), as D–G bimodule in the obvious way. Absolutely irreducible skew linear groups have a more restricted structure than irreducible skew linear groups, see for example [7],[8], [8] and [10]. Here we make a start on elucidating the structure of locally nilpotent suchgroups.