First LOFAR results on galaxy clusters
  Deep radio observations of galaxy clusters have revealed the existence of
diffuse radio sources related to the presence of relativistic electrons and
weak magnetic fields in the intracluster volume. The role played by this
non-thermal intracluster component on the thermodynamical evolution of galaxy
clusters is debated, with important implications for cosmological and
astrophysical studies of the largest gravitationally bound structures of the
Universe. The low surface brightness and steep spectra of diffuse cluster radio
sources make them more easily detectable at low-frequencies. LOFAR is the first
instrument able to detect diffuse radio emission in hundreds of massive galaxy
clusters up to their formation epoch. We present the first observations of
clusters imaged by LOFAR and the huge perspectives opened by this instrument
for non-thermal cluster studies.
