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The Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector (Baikal-GVD) is a km$^3$-scale neutrino detector currently under construction in Lake Baikal, Russia. The detector currently consists of 2304 optical modules arranged on 64 vertical strings. Further extension of the array is planned for March 2022. The data from the partially complete array have been analyzed using a $\chi^2$-based track reconstruction algorithm. After suppression of the downward-going atmospheric muon background, a flux of upward-going neutrino events is observed, dominated by the atmospheric neutrinos. The observed flux is in good agreement with Monte Carlo predictions., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to be published in Proceedings of the 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC-2021), 12-23 July 2021

Baikal-GVD is a km$^3$-scale neutrino telescope being constructed in Lake Baikal. Muon and partially tau (anti)neutrino interactions near the detector through the W$^{\pm}$-boson exchange are accompanied by muon tracks. Reconstructed direction of the track is arguably the most precise probe of the neutrino direction attainable in Cerenkov neutrino telescopes. Muon reconstruction techniques adopted by Baikal-GVD are discussed in the present report. Performance of the muon reconstruction is studied using realistic Monte Carlo simulation of the detector. The algorithms are applied to real data from Baikal-GVD and the results are compared with simulations. The performance of the neutrino selection based on a boosted decision tree classifier is discussed., 8 pages, 5 figures. Poster presented at 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2021), July 12th - 23rd, 2021, Online - Berlin, Germany. PoS(ICRC2021)1080

The large-scale deep underwater Cherenkov neutrino telescopes like Baikal-GVD, ANTARES or KM3NeT, require calibration and testing methods of their optical modules. These methods usually include laser-based systems which allow to check the telescope responses to the light and for real-time monitoring of the optical parameters of water such as absorption and scattering lengths, which show seasonal changes in natural reservoirs of water. We will present a testing method of a laser calibration system and a set of dedicated tools developed for Baikal- GVD, which includes a specially designed and built, compact, portable, and reconfigurable scanning station. This station is adapted to perform fast quality tests of the underwater laser sets just before their deployment in the telescope structure, even on ice, without darkroom. The testing procedure includes the energy stability test of the laser device, 3D scan of the light emission from the diffuser and attenuation test of the optical elements of the laser calibration system. The test bench consists primarily of an automatic mechanical scanner with a movable Si detector, beam splitter with a reference Si detector and, optionally, Q-switched diode-pumped solid-state laser used for laboratory scans of the diffusers. The presented test bench enables a three-dimensional scan of the light emission from diffusers, which are designed to obtain the isotropic distribution of photons around the point of emission. The results of the measurement can be easily shown on a 3D plot immediately after the test and may be also implemented to a dedicated program simulating photons propagation in water, which allows to check the quality of the diffuser in the scale of the Baikal-GVD telescope geometry., Comment: Presented at the VLVnT - Very Large Volume Neutrino Telescope Workshop, Valencia, 18-21 May 2021