In algebraic geometry, Barsotti–Tate groups or p-divisible groups are similar to the points of order a power of p on an abelian variety in characteristic p. They were introduced by under the name equidimensional hyperdomain and by under the name p-divisible groups, and named Barsotti–Tate groups by .
defined a p-divisible group of height h (over a scheme S) to be an inductive system of groups Gn for n≥0, such that Gn is a finite group scheme over S of order phn and such that Gn is (identified with) the group of elements of order divisible by pn in Gn+1.
More generally, defined a Barsotti–Tate group G over a scheme S to be an fppf sheaf of commutative groups over S that is p-divisible, p-torsion, such that the points G(1) of order p of G are (represented by) a finite locally free scheme.The group G(1) has rank ph for some locally constant function h on S, called the rank or height of the group G. The subgroup G(n) of points of order pn is a scheme of rank pnh, and G is the direct limit of these subgroups.