Improved FPT algorithms for weighted independent set in bull-free graphs

Very recently, Thomassé et al. (2017) have given an FPT algorithm for Weighted Independent Set in bull-free graphs parameterized by the weight of the solution, running in time $2^{O\left(k^5\right)}?n^9$. In this article we improve this running time to $2^{O\left(k^2\right)}?n^7$. As a byproduct, we also improve the previous Turing-kernel for this problem from $O\left(k^5\right)$ to $O\left(k^2\right)$. Furthermore, for the subclass of bull-free graphs without holes of length at most $2p?1$ for $p\ge 3$, we speed up the running time to $2^{O(k?k^{\frac{1}{p?1}})}?n^7$. As $p$ grows, this running time is asymptotically tight in terms of $k$, since we prove that for each integer $p\ge 3$, Weighted Independent Set cannot be solved in time $2^{o\left(k\right)}?n^{O\left(1\right)}$ in the class of $\{\text{bull},C_4,\dots ,C_{2p?1}\}$-free graphs unless the ETH fails.