Resistive Plate Chambers as detectors for thermal neutrons

An original technique has been developed, which, using layers of Gd converter, is apt to make Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) detectors sensitive also to thermal neutrons. This technique presents the advantages to be very simple, low cost, and applicable easily also to large surfaces. For the first time such a kind of RPCs have been constructed and exposed to a neutron beam to ascertain precisely their performance. The very encouraging results, together with the fact that they are still far from the theoretical limit achievable in the best configuration, lead us to continue along this path. The idea of putting together a conceptually simple and robust detector, with an easily made neutron converter makes this device potentially full of possible applications both in High-Energy Physics and for industry or social fields.