On the structure of virtually nilpotent compact $p$-adic analytic groups

Abstract: Let $G$ be a compact $p$-adic analytic group. We recall the well-understood finite radical $\Delta^+$ and FC-centre $\Delta$, and introduce a $p$-adic analogue of Roseblade's subgroup $\mathrm{nio}(G)$, the unique largest orbitally sound open normal subgroup of $G$. Further, when $G$ is nilpotent-by-finite, we introduce the finite-by-(nilpotent $p$-valuable) radical $\mathbf{FN}_p(G)$, an open characteristic subgroup of $G$ contained in $\mathrm{nio}(G)$. By relating the already well-known theory of isolators with Lazard's notion of $p$-saturations, we introduce the isolated lower central (resp. isolated derived) series of a nilpotent (resp. soluble) $p$-valuable group of finite rank, and use this to study the conjugation action of $\mathrm{nio}(G)$ on $\mathbf{FN}_p(G)$. We emerge with a structure theorem for $G$, $$1 \leq \Delta^+ \leq \Delta \leq \mathbf{FN}_p(G) \leq \mathrm{nio}(G) \leq G,$$ in which the various quotients of this series of groups are well understood. This sheds light on the ideal structure of the Iwasawa algebras (i.e. the completed group rings $kG$) of such groups, and will be used in future work to study the prime ideals of these rings.