Deep-Underwater Cherenkov Detector in Lake Baikal

A deep-underwater Cherenkov detector, Baikal-CVD, has been successfully deployed in Lake Baikal since 2016, marking a significant advancement in neutrino astronomy. This 1-km³-scale telescope, the largest of its kind in the Northern Hemisphere, is composed of modular clusters that enable scientific research even during early development stages. By 2021, it comprised eight clusters with 2304 optical modules, offering unprecedented capabilities for detecting high-energy neutrinos. The study highlights the detector's data acquisition system and addresses engineering challenges associated with deep-underwater operations. Initial results demonstrate its potential for groundbreaking discoveries in particle physics, particularly in studying cosmic neutrinos.

Avrorin, A. V., Avrorin, A. D., Ayinutdinov, V. M., Allakhverdyan, V. A., Banash, P., Bardachova, Z., Belolaptikov, I. A., Borina, I. V., Brudanin, V. B., Budnev, N. M., Gafarov, A. R., Golubkov, K. V., Gorshkov, N. S., Gres’, T. I., Dwornitski, R., Dzhilkibaev, Zh.-A. M., Dik, V. Ya., Domogatskii, G. V., Doroshenko, A. A., et al. (2022). Deep-Underwater Cherenkov Detector in Lake Baikal. Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, 134(4), 399–416. https://doi.org/10.1134/s1063776122040148