Graph minors. X: Obstructions to tree-decomposition (Q1179473)

[For Part IX see ibid. 49, No. 1, 40-77 (1990; Zbl 0741.05044)]. The paper studies hypergraphs. A tree-decomposition of a hypergraph is described; its substance is piecing small hypergraphs together in a tree structure. By means of this concept the tree-width of a hypergraph is defined. The obstructions to the existence of such a tree structure are studied. Important concepts are a separation and a tangle. A separation of a hypergraph \(G\) is a pair of its subhypergraphs whose intersection has no edges and whose union is \(G\). Tangles are certain systems of separations. The content of this paper can be illustrated by listing the titles of its sections: 1. Tangles, 2. Some tangle lemmas, 3. A lemma about submodular functions, 4. Branch-width, 5. Branch-width and tree- width, 6. New tangles from old, 7. A tangle in a grid, 8. Robust and titanic separations, 9. Laminar separations, 10. Tangle tree- decompositions, 11. Structure relative to a tangle, 12. Tangles and matroids.