A prototype device for acoustic neutrino detection in Lake Baikal

In April 2006, a 4-channel acoustic antenna has been put in long-term operation on Lake Baikal. The detector was installed at a depth of about 100 m on the instrumentation string of Baikal Neutrino Telescope NT200+. This detector may be regarded as a prototype of a subunit for a future underwater acoustic neutrino telescope. We describe the design of acoustic detector and present first results obtained from data analysis.