GADZOOKS! The future of Super-Kamiokande?

An inexpensive, effective technique is being developed to allow tagging of antineutrinos in water Cherenkov [WC] detectors via the addition to water of a solute with a large neutron cross section and energetic gamma daughters. Gadolinium is an excellent candidate since in recent years it has become very inexpensive, now less than $8 per kilogram in the form of commercially-available gadolinium trichloride. This non-toxic, non-reactive substance is highly soluble in water. Neutron capture on gadolinium yields an 8.0 MeV gamma cascade easily seen in detectors like Super-Kamiokande [Super-K, SK]. The uses of GdCl3 as a possible upgrade for the Super-Kamiokande detector - with a view toward improving its performance as an antineutrino detector for supernova neutrinos and reactor neutrinos - are discussed, as are the ongoing R&D efforts which aim to make this dream a reality within the next two years.