The Graph Minors Structure Theorem through Bidimensionality

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new surface extension of treewidth based on bidimensionality, providing a characterization of $K_k$-minor free graphs relative to surface obstructions and minimal non-embeddable surfaces.

Contribution

It establishes a finite collection of parametric graphs that determine the behavior of surface-specific treewidth and links minor-exclusion to surface obstructions.

Findings

Defines a surface extension of treewidth, ${ m extsf{tw}}_ ext{surface}$.

Identifies a finite set of parametric graphs $rak{D}_ ext{surface}$.

Shows that minor-exclusion of $rak{D}_ ext{surface}$ characterizes surface obstructions.

Abstract

The bidimensionality of a set of vertices $X$ in a graph $G$ is the maximum $k$ for which $G$ contains as a $X$-rooted minor some $(k \times k)$-grid. This notion allows for the following version of the Graph Minors Structure Theorem (GMST) that avoids the use of apices and vortices: $K_k$-minor free graphs are those that admit tree-decompositions whose torsos contain sets of bounded bidimensionality whose removal yield a graph embeddable in some surface $\Sigma$ of bounded Euler-genus. We next fix the target condition by demanding that $\Sigma$ is some particular surface. This defines a "surface extension" of treewidth, where $\Sigma\mbox{-}\textsf{tw}(G)$ is the minimum $k$ for which $G$ admits a tree-decomposition whose torsos become embeddable embeddable in $\Sigma$ after the removal of a set of dimensionality at most $k$. We identify a finite collection $\mathfrak{D}_{\Sigma}$ of parametric graphs and prove that the minor-exclusion of the graphs in $\mathfrak{D}_{\Sigma}$ determines the behavior of ${\Sigma}\mbox{-}\textsf{tw}$, for every surface $\Sigma.$ It follows that the collection $\mathfrak{D}_{\Sigma}$ bijectively corresponds to the "surface obstructions" for $\Sigma,$ i.e., surfaces that are minimally non-contained in $\Sigma.$ Our results are tight in the sense that ${\Sigma}\mbox{-}\textsf{tw}$ cannot be bounded for all parametric graphs in $\mathfrak{D}_{\Sigma}$.