The structure of the 3-separations of 3-connected matroids. II. (Q875060): Difference between revisions

The authors showed in Part I [\textit{J. Oxley, C. Semple} and \textit{G. Whittle}, J. Comb. Theory, Ser. B 92, No.~2, 257--293 (2004; Zbl 1059.05032)] that every 3-connected matroid \(M\) with at least nine elements has a tree decomposition that displays, up to equivalence, all non-sequential 3-separations. The purpose of the paper under review is to show that if certain natural conditions are imposed on the tree, then it has a uniqueness property. In particular, suppose that, from every pair of edges that meet at a degree-2 vertex and have their other ends of degree at least three, one edge is contracted. Then the resulting tree is unique.