On groups of polynomial subgroup growth

Summary Let be a finitely generated group anda _n ()=the number of its subgroups of indexn. We prove that, assuming is residually nilpotent (e.g., linear), thena _n () grows polynomially if and only if is solvable of finite rank. This answers a question of Segal. The proof uses a new characterization ofp-adic analytic groups, the theory of algebraic groups and the Prime Number Theorem. The method can be applied also to groups of polynomial word growth.Oblatum 1-VII-1989 & 7-VI-1990