Study of the $^{15}$C($d$, $^3$He)$^{14}$B Reaction

We have studied the $^{14}$B nucleus employing the $^{15}$C(d,$^3$He)$^{14}$B reaction in inverse kinematics using HELIOS (the HELIcal Orbit Spectrometer) at the ATLAS facility at ANL. A $^{15}$C beam was produced using the In-Flight method. The $^3$He particles were detected with HELIOS. The recoiling $^{13,~14}$B nuclei were identified in a set of silicon $\Delta$E--E telescope, distinguishing bound and unbound states in $^{14}$B. From a previous study of the $^{13}$B(d, p)$^{14}$B reaction the (2$_1$,1$_1$)$^-$ states were found to be admixtures of $\ell$ = 0 and $\ell$ = 2 made up of $\pi$(0$p_{3/2}$)$^{-1}$--$\nu$(1$s_{1/2}$) and $\pi$(0$p_{3/2}$)$^{-1}$--$\nu$(0$d_{5/2}$) configurations. The (2$_2$,1$_2$)$^-$ excited states were not observed. A complementary reaction can identify the (2$_2$,1$_2$)$^-$ states in order to track the single particle strength in $^{14}$B. In the current study, proton removal from $^{15}$C explores only the $\pi$(0$p_{3/2}$)$^{-1}$--$\nu$(1$s_{1/2}$) component of states in $^{14}$B. The results provide a determination of 2$^-_2$ energy level and better constrain the 1$s_{1/2}$ and 0$d_{5/2}$ effective single--particle energies in $^{14}$B.