Evidence of the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mmultiscripts> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">B</mml:mi> <mml:mprescripts/> <mml:none/> <mml:mn>9</mml:mn> </mml:mmultiscripts> <mml:mo>(</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:

The low-lying excitation region in <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <a:mmultiscripts> <a:mi mathvariant="normal">B</a:mi> <a:mprescripts/> <a:none/> <a:mn>9</a:mn> </a:mmultiscripts> </a:math> has been studied through the <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <c:mrow> <c:mmultiscripts> <c:mi mathvariant="normal">C</c:mi> <c:mprescripts/> <c:none/> <c:mn>12</c:mn> </c:mmultiscripts> <c:mo>(</c:mo> <c:mi>p</c:mi> <c:mo>,</c:mo> <c:mi>α</c:mi> <c:mo>)</c:mo> <c:mmultiscripts> <c:mi mathvariant="normal">B</c:mi> <c:mprescripts/> <c:none/> <c:mn>9</c:mn> </c:mmultiscripts> </c:mrow> </c:math> reaction with a proton beam energy of 33 MeV at the Birmingham MC40 Cyclotron. Coincident recoil <f:math xmlns:f="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <f:mi>α</f:mi> </f:math> -particle and <g:math xmlns:g="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <g:mmultiscripts> <g:mi mathvariant="normal">B</g:mi> <g:mprescripts/> <g:none/> <g:mn>9</g:mn> </g:mmultiscripts> </g:math> breakup products were detected by a silicon double-sided strip detector array and reconstructed to identify signatures of the elusive <i:math xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <i:mrow> <i:mmultiscripts> <i:mi mathvariant="normal">B</i:mi> <i:mprescripts/> <i:none/> <i:mn>9</i:mn> </i:mmultiscripts> <i:mo>(</i:mo> <i:mn>1</i:mn> <i:mo>/</i:mo> <i:msup> <i:mn>2</i:mn> <i:mo>+</i:mo> </i:msup> <i:mo>)</i:mo> </i:mrow> </i:math> state. Data were collected for two distinct <k:math xmlns:k="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <k:mi>α</k:mi> </k:math> -particle recoil angles, <l:math xmlns:l="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <l:msup> <l:mn>31</l:mn> <l:mo>∘</l:mo> </l:msup> </l:math> and <m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <m:msup> <m:mn>106</m:mn> <m:mo>∘</m:mo> </m:msup> </m:math> , with a total beam exposure of <n:math xmlns:n="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <n:mrow> <n:mo>≈</n:mo> <n:mn>0.52</n:mn> </n:mrow> </n:math> mC. <o:math xmlns:o="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <o:mi>R</o:mi> </o:math> -matrix analysis indicates the presence of a state at <p:math xmlns:p="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <p:mrow> <p:msub> <p:mi>E</p:mi> <p:mi mathvariant="normal">x</p:mi> </p:msub> <p:mo>=</p:mo> <p:mn>1.83</p:mn> <p:mo>±</p:mo> <p:mn>0.05</p:mn> </p:mrow> </p:math> MeV with a width of <r:math xmlns:r="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <r:mrow> <r:mi mathvariant="normal">Γ</r:mi> <r:mo>=</r:mo> <r:mn>850</r:mn> <r:msubsup> <r:mo>±</r:mo> <r:mn>88</r:mn> <r:mn>110</r:mn> </r:msubsup> </r:mrow> </r:math> keV with a confidence level of 99.1% and no signature of any lower-lying state. This result is shown to be consistent with four previous measurements over the last 25 years, signifying strong evidence that the first excited state in <t:math xmlns:t="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <t:mmultiscripts> <t:mi mathvariant="normal">B</t:mi> <t:mprescripts/> <t:none/> <t:mn>9</t:mn> </t:mmultiscripts> </t:math> lies at a weighted average excitation of <v:math xmlns:v="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <v:mrow> <v:msub> <v:mi>E</v:mi> <v:mi mathvariant="normal">x</v:mi> </v:msub> <v:mo>=</v:mo> <v:mn>1.84</v:mn> <v:mo>±</v:mo> <v:mn>0.04</v:mn> </v:mrow> </v:math> MeV with <x:math xmlns:x="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <x:mrow> <x:mi mathvariant="normal">Γ</x:mi> <x:mo>=</x:mo> <x:mn>740</x:mn> <x:msubsup> <x:mo>±</x:mo> <x:mn>66</x:mn> <x:mn>77</x:mn> </x:msubsup> </x:mrow> </x:math> keV.