Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) instrument onboard ASTROSAT

ASTROSAT, India's first dedicated astronomy space mission was launched on September 28, 2015. The Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) is one of the major payloads on ASTROSAT. A cluster of three co-aligned identical LAXPC detectors provide large area of collection. The large detection volume (15 cm depth) filled with mixture of xenon gas (90%) and methane (10%) at pressure of similar to 2 atmospheres, results in detection efficiency greater than 50%, above 30 keV. The LAXPC instrument is best suited for X-ray timing and spectral studies. It will provide the largest effective area in 3-80 keV range among all the satellite missions flown so far worldwide and will remain so for the next 5-10 years. The LAXPC detectors have been calibrated using radioactive sources in the laboratory. GEANT4 simulation for LAXPC detectors was carried out to understand detector background and its response. The LAXPC instrument became fully operational on 19th October 2015 for the first time in space. We have performed detector calibration in orbit. The LAXPC instrument is functioning well and has achieved all detector parameters proposed initially. In this paper, we will describe LAXPC detector calibration in lab as well as in orbit along with first results.