Duality theorems for blocks and tangles in graphs

Abstract

We prove a duality theorem applicable to a a wide range of specialisations, as well as to some generalisations, of tangles in graphs. It generalises the classical tangle duality theorem of Robertson and Seymour, which says that every graph either has a large-order tangle or a certain low-width tree-decomposition witnessing that it cannot have such a tangle. Our result also yields duality theorems for profiles and for $k$-blocks. This solves a problem studied, but not solved, by Diestel and Oum and answers an earlier question of Carmesin, Diestel, Hamann and Hundertmark.