  Superconducting and normal-state properties of the beta-pyrochlore oxide
KOs2O6 are studied by means of thermodynamic and transport measurements. It is
shown that the superconductivity is of conventional s-wave type and lies in the
extremely strong-coupling regime. Specific heat and resistivity measurements
reveal that there are characteristic low-energy phonons that give rise to
unusual scattering of carriers due to strong electron-phonon interactions. The
entity of the low-energy phonons is ascribed to the heavy rattling of the K ion
confined in an oversized cage made of OsO6 octahedra. It is suggested that this
electron-rattler coupling mediates the Cooper pairing, resulting in the
extremely strong-coupling superconductivity.
