New14 N(d,p) angular distribution data were taken at a deuteron bombarding energy of 16 MeV to locate all narrow peaks up to 15 MeV in excitation. A new shell model calculation is able to reproduce all levels in 15 N up to 11.5 MeV and is used to characterize a narrow level at 11.236 MeV and to provide a map of single particle strengths. These results confirm the degeneracy of these orbitals and that the 15 N− 15 O nuclei are where the transition between the 2s1 /2 lying below the 1d5 /2 to lying above it, takes place. The 1d3 /2 single particle strength is estimated to be centered around 14 MeV in these nuclei.

The separation between single particle levels in nuclei plays the dominant role in determining the location of the neutron drip line. The separation also provides a test of current crossed shell model interactions if the experimental data is such that multiple shells are involved. The present work uses the 14 N(d, p) 15 N reaction to extract the 2s 1/2 , and 1d 5/2 total neutron single particle strengths and then compares these results with a shell model calculation using a p-sd crossed shell interaction to identify the J π of all levels in 15 N up to 12.8 MeV in excitation.

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