Cooper-pair formation by anharmonic rattling modes in the β-pyrochlore superconductor KOs2O6

We study the influence of anharmonic rattling phonons in the β-pyrochlore superconductor KOs2O6 using the strong-coupling Eliashberg approach. In particular, by analyzing the specific heat data, we find that the rattling phonon frequency changes discontinuously at the critical temperature of the first-order phase transition. Solving the strong-coupling Eliashberg equations with effective temperature-dependent α2F(ω), we investigate the consequence of this first-order phase transition for the anomalous temperature dependence of the superconducting gap. We discuss our results in the context of the recent experimental data.