The installation of the 14th cluster of the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope is underway on Lake Baikal, according to the Governor of the Irkutsk Region, Igor Kobzev. The work is being carried out as part of the annual expedition aimed at developing one of the three operating neutrino telescopes in the world.
Currently, the underwater structure of Baikal-GVD includes 13 clusters and 4100 optical modules. In the current expedition, specialists from the V. P. Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems are not only building a new cluster but also modernizing existing ones. For this purpose, about 660 optical modules were assembled.
The Baikal-GVD project started in 2010. Each cluster consists of 288 optical detectors that are submerged to the bottom of Lake Baikal. The lake's water plays a key role, allowing for accurate tracking of Cherenkov radiation arising from charged particles. With each new cluster, the telescope receives more data.
Neutrinos, studied with the help of the telescope, can reveal the secrets of the origin and evolution of the Universe.
The Russian Baikal-GVD, along with IceCube and KM3NeT, is part of the Global Neutrino Network. The second telescope is located at the Amundsen-Scott Antarctic station, and the third is located on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
Read more on the topic:
LOMO Starts Production of Telescopes for Small Spacecraft
Russia to Build New 120-Ton Solar Coronagraph Telescope
Spektr-UF Telescope to Receive Advanced Photocathodes for Space Exploration
