A Polynomial Kernel for Proper Interval Vertex Deletion

Abstract

It is known that the problem of deleting at most $k$ vertices to obtain a proper interval graph (Proper Interval Vertex Deletion) is fixed parameter tractable. However, whether the problem admits a polynomial kernel or not was open. Here, we answer this question in the affirmative by obtaining a polynomial kernel for Proper Interval Vertex Deletion. This resolves an open question of van Bevern et al. [Graph-Theoretic Concepts in Computer Science (WG 2010), Lecture Notes in Comput. Sci. 6410, Springer, Berlin, 2010, pp. 232--243].