A note on geometric constructions of bi-invariant orderings

Tetsuya Ito

Published 2010-05-21, updated 2010-11-30Version 2

We construct bi-invariant total orderings of residually torsion-free nilpotent groups by using Chen's iterated integrals. This construction can be seen as a generalization of the Magnus ordering of the free groups, and equivalent to the classical construction which uses an iteration of central extensions. Our geometric construction provides a connection between bi-orderings and the rational homotopy theory.