激光离子加速是近年来激光等离子体领域兴起的研究热点之一。激光产生的高能离子束具有高亮度、小尺寸、脉宽窄和方向性好等特点，具有很多潜在的应用。概述了几种常见的激光离子加速物理机制，对一系列激光离子加速实验进展进行了归纳总结，最后介绍了几种激光驱动离子束的潜在应用。

Laser-driven ion acceleration is a frontier of laser plasma physics which has been developed in recent decades. Energetic ion beam generated in the interaction of laser and matter has unique properties such as high brilliance, compact size, ultra-short duration, and low emittance. These advantages are particularly suitable for many potential applications. This paper describes the main physical mechanism of ion acceleration driven by ultrashort laser. It reviews the progress of a series of laser-driven ion acceleration experiments. At last, it provides a brief introduction of several potential applications of laser-driven ion sources.