Galaxy clusters as gravitational lenses play a unique role in astrophysics and cosmology: they permit mapping the dark matter distribution on a range of scales; they reveal the properties of high and intermediate redshift background galaxies that would otherwise be unreachable with telescopes; they constrain the particle nature of dark matter and are a powerful probe of global cosmological parameters, like the Hubble constant. In this review we summarize the current status of cluster lensing observations and the insights they provide, and offer a glimpse into the capabilities that ongoing, and the upcoming next generation of telescopes and surveys will deliver. While many open questions remain, cluster lensing promises to remain at the forefront of discoveries in astrophysics and cosmology.

星系团作为引力透镜在天体物理学和宇宙学中发挥着独特的作用：它们允许在一系列尺度上绘制暗物质分布图；它们揭示了高和中红移背景星系的特性，否则这些星系是望远镜无法观测到的；它们限制了暗物质的粒子性质，并且是全球宇宙学参数（如哈勃常数）的有力探针。在这篇综述中，我们总结了集群透镜观测的现状及其提供的见解，并简要介绍了正在进行的以及即将到来的下一代望远镜和调查将提供的功能。尽管仍有许多悬而未决的问题，但星团透镜有望继续处于天体物理学和宇宙学发现的前沿。