A search for $WV\gamma$ triple vector boson production is presented based on events containing a $W$ boson decaying to a muon or an electron and a neutrino, a second $V$ ($W$ or $Z$) boson, and a photon. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of $19.3{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ collected in 2012 with the CMS detector at the LHC in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=8\mathrm{TeV}$. An upper limit of 311 fb on the cross section for the $WV\gamma$ production process is obtained at 95% confidence level for photons with a transverse energy above 30 GeV and with an absolute value of pseudorapidity of less than 1.44. This limit is approximately a factor of 3.4 larger than the standard model predictions that are based on next-to-leading order QCD calculations. Since no evidence of anomalous $WW\gamma \gamma$ or $WWZ\gamma$ quartic gauge boson couplings is found, this paper presents the first experimental limits on the dimension-eight parameter $f_{T,0}$ and the $CP$-conserving $WWZ\gamma$ parameters ${\kappa }_0^W$ and ${\kappa }_C^W$. Limits are also obtained for the $WW\gamma \gamma$ parameters $a_0^W$ and $a_C^W$.

• Received 17 April 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.90.032008

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© 2014 CERN, for the CMS Collaboration