Abstract
Gadolinium has long been investigated as a detector for neutrons.
It has a thermal neutron capture cross-section that is unparalleled
among stable elements, because of the isotopes $^{155,157}$Gd.
As a replacement for $^3$He, gadolinium has a significant defect,
it produces many gamma-rays with an energy sum of 8 MeV.
It also produces conversion electrons, mostly 29 keV in energy.
The key to replacing $^3$He with gadolinium is using a gamma-blind
electron detector to detect the conversion electrons.
We suggest that coupling a layer of gadolinium to a Plasma Panel Sensor
(PPS) can provide highly efficient, nearly gamma-blind detection
of the conversion. The PPS is a proposed detector under development
as a dense array of avalanche counters based on plasma display technology.
We will present simulations of the response of prototypes of this
detector and considerations of the use of gadolinium in the PPS.