Supernova studies with Gadolinium enhanced water Cherenkov detectors

The Super Kamiokande experiment is entering a new phase where
Gadolinium is being added to the water to enhance neutron
sensitivity, and better identify antineutrino events. The Watchman
experiment follows a similar design to detector reactor neutrinos.
This thesis will study the impact of Gadolinium loading on
measurement of the neutrinos from a Supernova developing analysis
for Super Kamiokande to test supernova models and to prepare for
the event of a Supernova. Building on this analysis the Supernova
trigger will be developed for Watchman to ensure that the
Watchman REBAM system can retain all the data should a nearby star
go Supernova during the runtime of the experiment.