We discuss the radio, optical, and X-ray properties of two newly discovered, very X-ray luminous, distant clusters of galaxies. Both systems were noted as cluster candidates in a cross-correlation of data from the WENSS () radio survey and the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (). Follow-up observations performed by us and the Massive Cluster Survey (MACS) team confirmed both sources as distant galaxy clusters. The first cluster, MACS J0717.5+3745 at a redshift of z=0.5548, contains a very extended, steep-spectrum radio source offset from the cluster core, making it the most distant radio relic known. The second cluster, MACS J1621.3+3810 at z=0.465, is a strong cooling flow with a relatively weak central radio source. We present results from ROSAT High-Resolution Imager (HRI, Cat. ) observations of both clusters as well as from optical imaging and VLA radio interferometry observations. Our discoveries demonstrate that distant clusters can be efficiently identified in a relatively shallow X-ray survey, that radio/X-ray selection is efficient, and that both cooling flow and non-cooling flow clusters are selected.

Cone search capability for table J/MNRAS/339/913/table2 (Identifications of cluster candidates and known clusters with z>0.3.)