Abstract: When light waves propagate in the atmosphere, due to the random changes of atmosphere refractive index, turbulence effects such as scintillation, beam expansion and beam wander will be caused, which seriously affect the performance of laser communication, tracking and imaging systems. Partially coherent beam is less affected by atmospheric turbulence, which makes its propagation characteristics become a research hotspot in recent years. In this paper, the research progress of partially coherent beam in atmospheric turbulence at home and abroad is summarized, the research work of Xi’an University of Technology in this field is also introduced, including the intensity distribution, beam spread, beam wander, scintillation, arrival angle fluctuation and polarization and scattering properties, etc. Finally, the development direction of the field is prospected.