Release of Gd-ions from peralkaline borosilicate glass in pure water for neutrino detection in Water-Cherenkov Detectors

摘要

The addition of Gadolinium (Gd)-based salt, specially GdCl3, in the Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCDs) enhances the sensitivity to neutrino detection. However, the unwanted Cl-based byproducts,significantlyreducesthetransparencyofwaterandsensitivityofWCDs. Analternative method, to introduce Gd-ions in the WCDs, is through Gd-release from a custom designed Gddoped glass, when in contact with water. This can potentially eliminate the use of Gd-based salts andbyproducts. Inthiswork,wereporttheGd-ionsreleaseforaGd-dopedperalkaline(Na/Al > 1) borosilicate glass, which closely represents photomultiplier tube (PMT) glass composition used in WCDs. The purpose of the paper is to show that the Gd-ion release from a custom designed glass in the form of beads or powders is feasible and could be used as a controlled Gd-source in future WCDs to enhance neutrino detection. In addition, we present our results of Gd-solubility in the base glass composition.