Proton Imaging Of Laser Irradiated Foils And Mass-Limited Targets

Due to the envisioned advantages of mass-limited targets for laser driven ion beams, which are high efficiency and high cut-off energies, their field dynamics are of special interest. Micro-water droplets can be used as mass-limited targets with a high repetition rate. Our investigations show that the surrounding dilute plasma of such liquid spheres influences the interaction. We review our experimental findings together with computer simulations and conclude on the different processes in electron transport and related acceleration fields for mass-limited targets and foils, respectively.