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Yuan, X.*; Hu, Q. H.*; Fang, X.*; Wang, Q. M.*; Ma, Y.*; 舘 幸男
Sedimentary Geology, 465, p.106633_1 - 106633_14, 2024/05
Archie's cementation factor, m, is a critical parameter for petrophysical studies, and the value is influenced by several factors such as the shape, type, and size of grains, degrees of diagenesis, and associated pore structure. Using integrated experimental and theoretical approaches, the goal of this study is to obtain the cementation factor of rocks (both reservoir rock and caprock) and assess the impact of diagenesis processes on the values of the cementation factor. Thirteen samples of geologically diverse rocks (six mudstones, four fossiliferous limestones, two marbles, and one sandstone) were selected to achieve these research objectives. Two approaches, the diffusion of gas tracers and the Bosanquet formula calculation using pore-throat sizes from mercury intrusion porosimetry analyses, were used to derive the cementation factors of these rock samples. These rocks were categorized into two groups based on the correlation between average pore-throat diameter and diffusivity, and an exponential-law relationship between the cementation factor and porosity was determined for these sample groups. In addition, thin-section petrography and field emission-scanning electron microscopy observations were utilized to investigate diagenetic processes, with four diagenetic patterns being established: (1) strong compaction, strong cementation, and weak dissolution-diagenesis pattern; (2) weak compaction, medium cementation, and weak dissolution-diagenesis pattern; (3) weak compaction, medium cementation, and strong dissolution-diagenesis pattern; and (4) fracture-matrix pattern. The results indicated that diagenetic processes and microfractures contribute to the variability in the cementation factors in these rock samples.
Li, J.*; Li, X.*; Zhang, Y.*; Zhu, J.*; Zhao, E.*; 古府 麻衣子; 中島 健次; Avdeev, M.*; Liu, P.-F.*; Sui, J.*; et al.
Applied Physics Reviews (Internet), 11(1), p.011406_1 - 011406_8, 2024/03
被引用回数:0 パーセンタイル:0.01(Physics, Applied)The desire for intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity () in thermoelectrics motivates numerous efforts on understanding the microscopic mechanisms of heat transport in solids. Here, based on theoretical calculations, we demonstrate that -MgAgSb hosts low-energy localized phonon bands and avoided crossing of the rattler modes, which coincides with the inelastic neutron scattering result. Using the two-channel lattice dynamical approach, we find, besides the conventional contribution (70% at 300 K) from particlelike phonons propagating, the coherence contribution dominated by the wavelike tunneling of phonons accounts for 30% of total at 300 K. By considering dual contributions, our calculated room-temperature of 0.64 WmK well agrees with the experimental value of 0.63 WmK. More importantly, our computations give a nonstandard dependence, perfectly explaining the abnormal temperature-trend of in experiment for -MgAgSb. By molecular dynamics simulation, we reveal that the structure simultaneously has soft crystalline sublattices with the metavalent bonding and fluctuating liquid-like sublattices with thermally induced large amplitude vibrations. These diverse forms of chemical bonding arouse mixed part-crystal part-liquid state, scatter strongly heat-carrying phonons, and finally produce extremely low . The fundamental research from this study will accelerate the design of ultralow- materials for energy-conversion applications.
Huang, Z.*; Wang, W.*; Ye, H.*; Bao, S.*; Shangguan, Y.*; Liao, J.*; Cao, S.*; 梶本 亮一; 池内 和彦*; Deng, G.*; et al.
Physical Review B, 109(1), p.014434_1 - 014434_9, 2024/01
被引用回数:0TbMnSn is a correlated topological magnet with a Mn-based kagome lattice, in which a Chern gap opens at the Dirac point at low temperatures. The magnetic moment direction of the ferrimagnetic order changes from in the kagome plane to the out-of-plane upon cooling, which is essential for generating the Chern gap, but the underlying mechanism for the spin reorientation remains elusive. Here, we investigate the spin-reorientation transition in TbMnSn using neutron scattering. We provide direct evidence for the spin-reorientation transition and unveil the coexistence of two Tb modes at 200 K. To account for these results, we put forward a model based on SU(N) spin-wave theory, in which there is a temperature evolution of the ground state Tb orbitals, driven by the crystalline electric field, single-ion anisotropy, and exchange interactions between Tb and Mn ions. Our findings shed light on the complex magnetism of TbMnSn, despite its relatively simple ground state magnetic structure, and provide insights into the mechanisms for tuning magnetic topological materials.
Bao, S.*; Gu, Z.-L.*; Shangguan, Y.*; Huang, Z.*; Liao, J.*; Zhao, X.*; Zhang, B.*; Dong, Z.-Y.*; Wang, W.*; 梶本 亮一; et al.
Nature Communications (Internet), 14, p.6093_1 - 6093_9, 2023/09
被引用回数:1 パーセンタイル:61.99(Multidisciplinary Sciences)Magnon polarons are novel elementary excitations possessing hybrid magnonic and phononic signatures, and are responsible for many exotic spintronic and magnonic phenomena. Despite long-term sustained experimental efforts in chasing for magnon polarons, direct spectroscopic evidence of their existence is hardly observed. Here, we report the direct observation of magnon polarons using neutron spectroscopy on a multiferroic FeMoO possessing strong magnon-phonon coupling. Specifically, below the magnetic ordering temperature, a gap opens at the nominal intersection of the original magnon and phonon bands, leading to two separated magnon-polaron bands. Each of the bands undergoes mixing, interconverting and reversing between its magnonic and phononic components. We attribute the formation of magnon polarons to the strong magnon-phonon coupling induced by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Intriguingly, we find that the band-inverted magnon polarons are topologically nontrivial. These results uncover exotic elementary excitations arising from the magnon-phonon coupling, and offer a new route to topological states by considering hybridizations between different types of fundamental excitations.
Chen, S.*; Browne, F.*; Doornenbal, P.*; Lee, J.*; Obertelli, A.*; 角田 佑介*; 大塚 孝治*; 茶園 亮樹*; Hagen, G.*; Holt, J. D.*; et al.
Physics Letters B, 843, p.138025_1 - 138025_7, 2023/08
被引用回数:1 パーセンタイル:0.02(Astronomy & Astrophysics)Scからの1陽子ノックアウト反応を用いて、CaとCaのガンマ崩壊を観測した。Caでは1456(12)keVの線遷移が、Caでは1115(34)keVの遷移が観測された。どちらの遷移も暫定的にと割り当てられた。有効核子間相互作用をわずかに修正した広い模型空間での殻模型計算では、準位エネルギー、2中性子分離エネルギー、反応断面積が実験とよく一致し、N=34閉殻の上に新しい殻が形成されていることを裏付けた。その構成要素であると軌道はほぼ縮退しており、これはCaが二重魔法核である可能性を排除し、Ca同位体のドリップラインをCaあるいはそれ以上にまで広げる可能性がある。
Fang, Y.*; Kong, L.*; Wang, R.*; Zhang, Z.*; Li, Z.*; Wu, Y.*; Bu, K.*; Liu, X.*; Yan, S.*; 服部 高典; et al.
Materials Today Physics (Internet), 34, p.101083_1 - 101083_7, 2023/05
被引用回数:1 パーセンタイル:0(Materials Science, Multidisciplinary)層状ファンデルワールスハライドは、外部圧力に対して特に敏感であるため、目的とする性質を持つ構造にチューンすることが可能となる。一方で、圧力に非常に敏感であるという特性は、同時に目的とする機能の実現に有害な相転移や格子歪みを引き起こす可能性があるためその操作は依然として困難である。この研究では、層状RhI結晶が持つ極めて弱い層間結合と高い機能可変性を観察した。5GPaという適度な圧力をかけると圧力誘起相転移が起こり、積層構造に変化が現れた。驚くべきことに、この相転移は、圧力に対してほぼ直線的なバンドギャップ減少という傾向に影響を与えなかった。また、より高い圧力では、1.3eVの赤方偏移というかなり大きな調整幅を伴う金属相が観測された。さらに、RhIのキャリア濃度は30GPaで4桁増加し、光電流は7.8GPaで5桁増加することが確認された。これらの結果は、ファンデルワールスハライドの層状構造という特異な特徴を生かした探索、調整、理解のための新たな機会を創出し、原子レベルの薄さを持つマテリアルバイデザインに基づく将来のデバイスとして有望である。
Ren, Q.*; Gupta, M. K.*; Jin, M.*; Ding, J.*; Wu, J.*; Chen, Z.*; Lin, S.*; Fabelo, O.*; Rodriguez-Velamazan, J. A.*; 古府 麻衣子; et al.
Nature Materials, 22, p.999 - 1006, 2023/05
被引用回数:21 パーセンタイル:99.22(Chemistry, Physical)Ultralow thermal conductivity and fast ionic diffusion endow superionic materials with excellent performance both as thermoelectric converters and as solid-state electrolytes. Yet the correlation and interdependence between these two features remain unclear owing to a limited understanding of their complex atomic dynamics. Here we investigate ionic diffusion and lattice dynamics in argyrodite AgSnSe using synchrotron X-ray and neutron scattering techniques along with machine-learned molecular dynamics. We identify a critical interplay of the vibrational dynamics of mobile Ag and a host framework that controls the overdamping of low-energy Ag-dominated phonons into a quasi-elastic response, enabling superionicity. Concomitantly, the persistence of long-wavelength transverse acoustic phonons across the superionic transition challenges a proposed 'liquid-like thermal conduction' picture. Rather, a striking thermal broadening of low-energy phonons, starting even below 50 K, reveals extreme phonon anharmonicity and weak bonding as underlying features of the potential energy surface responsible for the ultralow thermal conductivity ( 0.5 WmK) and fast diffusion. Our results provide fundamental insights into the complex atomic dynamics in superionic materials for energy conversion and storage.
Cao, Y.*; Zhou, H.*; Khmelevskyi, S.*; Lin, K.*; Avdeev, M.*; Wang, C.-W.*; Wang, B.*; Hu, F.*; 加藤 健一*; 服部 高典; et al.
Chemistry of Materials, 35(8), p.3249 - 3255, 2023/04
被引用回数:1 パーセンタイル:0(Chemistry, Physical)静水圧や化学圧力は、結晶構造を変化させる効率的な刺激であり、材料科学において電気的、磁気的特性のチューニングによく利用されている。しかし、化学圧力は定量化が困難であり、これら両者の定量的な対応関係はまだよくわかっていない。本研究では、負の熱膨張(NTE)を持つ永久磁石の候補である金属間化合物を調べた。放射光X線その場観察により、AlをドープしたHoFeに負の化学圧力があることを明らかにし、単位セル体積の温度・圧力依存性を用いそれを定量的に評価した。また、磁化測定と中性子回折測定を組み合わせることで、磁気秩序に対する化学圧力と静水圧の違いを比較した。興味深いことに、圧力はNTEの抑制と増強を制御するために使用することができた。電子状態計算から、圧力がFermiレベル(EF)に対する主要バンドの上部に影響を与えたことを示しており、これは磁気安定性に影響を与え、それが磁気とNTEを調節する上で重要な役割を果たしていることがわかった。本研究は、圧力の影響を理解し、それを利用して機能性材料の特性を制御する良い例を示している。
Pohl, T.*; Sun, Y. L.*; Obertelli, A.*; Lee, J.*; Gmez-Ramos, M.*; 緒方 一介*; 吉田 数貴; Cai, B. S.*; Yuan, C. X.*; Brown, B. A.*; et al.
Physical Review Letters, 130(17), p.172501_1 - 172501_8, 2023/04
被引用回数:5 パーセンタイル:92.42(Physics, Multidisciplinary)大きなフェルミ面非対称性を持つ陽子過剰なO原子核からの100MeV/nucleonでの陽子による陽子・中性子除去反応について報告した。この結果は、quasi-freeノックアウト反応、非弾性散乱、核子移行反応を含む複数の反応機構の定量的寄与を初めて示すものである。このようなエネルギー領域では通常無視される非弾性散乱と核子移行の寄与が、弱束縛陽子と強束縛中性子の除去反応断面積にそれぞれ約50%と30%寄与していることが示された。
Lam, T.-N.*; Chin, H.-H.*; Zhang, X.*; Feng, R.*; Wang, H.*; Chiang, C.-Y.*; Lee, S. Y.*; 川崎 卓郎; Harjo, S.; Liaw, P. K.*; et al.
Acta Materialia, 245, p.118585_1 - 118585_9, 2023/02
被引用回数:8 パーセンタイル:80.32(Materials Science, Multidisciplinary)The present study investigates the crystallographic-texture effects on the improved fatigue resistance in the CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with the full-size geometry of the ASTM Standards E647-99. We exploited X-ray nano-diffraction mapping to characterize the crystal-deformation levels ahead of the crack tip after stress unloading under both constant- and tensile overloaded-fatigue conditions. The crack-tip blunting-induced much higher deformation level was concentrated surrounding the crack-tip which delays the fatigue-crack growth immediately after a tensile overload. The predominant deformation texture orientation in the Paris regime was investigated, using electron backscatter diffraction and orientation distribution function analyses. The twinning formation-driven shear deformation gave rise to the development of the Goss-type texture within the plastic deformation regime under a tensile-overloaded-fatigue condition, which was attributed to enhance the crack deflection and thus the tensile induced crack-growth-retardation period in the CoCrFeMnNi HEA.
Elekes, Z.*; Juhsz, M. M.*; Sohler, D.*; Sieja, K.*; 吉田 数貴; 緒方 一介*; Doornenbal, P.*; Obertelli, A.*; Achouri, N. L.*; 馬場 秀忠*; et al.
Physical Review C, 106(6), p.064321_1 - 064321_10, 2022/12
被引用回数:2 パーセンタイル:0.02(Physics, Nuclear)VとVの低励起準位構造を初めて探索した。Vについては中性子ノックアウト反応と陽子非弾性散乱が、Vについては中性子ノックアウト反応データが得られた。Vについては4つ、Vについては5つの新たな遷移が確認された。Lenzi-Nowacki-Poves-Sieja (LNPS)相互作用に基づく殻模型計算との比較によって、それぞれの同位体について確認されたガンマ線のうち3つが、first 11/2状態とfirst 9/2状態からの崩壊と決定された。Vについては、(,)非弾性散乱断面積は四重極変形と十六重極変形を想定したチャネル結合法により解析されたが、十六重極変形の影響により、明確に反転の島に属するとは決定できなかった。
Enciu, M.*; Liu, H. N.*; Obertelli, A.*; Doornenbal, P.*; Nowacki, F.*; 緒方 一介*; Poves, A.*; 吉田 数貴; Achouri, N. L.*; 馬場 秀忠*; et al.
Physical Review Letters, 129(26), p.262501_1 - 262501_7, 2022/12
被引用回数:4 パーセンタイル:46.35(Physics, Multidisciplinary)230MeV/nucleonでのCaからの中性子ノックアウト反応が線分光と行われ、と軌道からの中性子ノックアウト反応の運動量分布が測定された。断面積はの閉殻と整合し、Ca同位体でのと閉殻と同程度に強い閉殻であることが確認された。運動量分布の分析からと軌道の平均二乗根半径の差は0.61(23)fmと決定され、これはmodified-shell-modelによる予言の0.7fmと整合した。これは、中性子過剰なCa同位体での軌道半径が大きいことが、中性子数にしたがって線形的に荷電半径が増える意外な現象の原因であることを示唆している。
Zhang, J.*; Kuang, L.*; Mou, Z.*; 近藤 俊明*; 小嵐 淳; 安藤 麻里子; Li, Y.*; Tang, X.*; Wang, Y.-P.*; Peuelas, J.*; et al.
Plant and Soil, 481(1-2), p.349 - 365, 2022/12
被引用回数:3 パーセンタイル:22.98(Agronomy)Soil warming effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition and stabilization are highly variable, and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, concentration, stability (dissolved, particle and mineral-associated SOC), and source (plant-derived and microbial-derived) of SOC, soil microbial community composition, and enzyme activities were studied in a 10-year soil warming field experiment in an East Asian monsoon forest. The results showed that 10-year soil warming significantly enhanced SOC in the top 0-10 cm soil. The increased SOC induced by warming was mainly derived from plants with lignin markers, accompanied by a decrease in microbial-derived SOC. This highlights an urgent need for a better understanding of how the contrasting effects of plant- and microbial-derived C mediate the response of the SOC pool to warming across different biomes.
Sheng, J.*; Wang, L.*; Candini, A.*; Jiang, W.*; Huang, L.*; Xi, B.*; Zhao, J.*; Ge, H.*; Zhao, N.*; Fu, Y.*; et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(51), p.e2211193119_1 - e2211193119_9, 2022/12
被引用回数:3 パーセンタイル:28(Multidisciplinary Sciences)Although considerable progress has been made in the theoretical understanding of the low-dimensional frustrated quantum magnets, experimental realizations of a well-established scaling analysis are still scarce. This is particularly true for the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic triangular lattices. Owing to the small exchange strength, the newly discovered compound NaBaCo(PO) provides a rare opportunity for clarifying the quantum criticality in an ideal triangular lattice with quantum spin S=1/2. In addition to the establishment of the complete phase diagrams, the spin Hamiltonian with a negligible interplane interaction has been determined through the spin wave dispersion in the polarized state, which is consistent with the observation of a two-dimensional quantum critical point with the Bose-Einstein condensation of diluted free bosons.
Zhang, M. M.*; Tian, Y. L.*; Wang, Y. S.*; Zhang, Z. Y.*; Gan, Z. G.*; Yang, H. B.*; Huang, M. H.*; Ma, L.*; Yang, C. L.*; Wang, J. G.*; et al.
Physical Review C, 106(2), p.024305_1 - 024305_6, 2022/08
被引用回数:2 パーセンタイル:52.69(Physics, Nuclear)The extremely neutron-deficient even-even uranium isotopes U were produced in the complete-fusion reactions induced by impinging Ar and Ca ions on W targets. Fusion evaporation residues were separated in flight by the gas-filled recoil separator SHANS (Spectrometer for Heavy Atoms and Nuclear Structure) and subsequently identified using the recoil--correlation method. In this paper, we report on new -decay activities with keV for U and keV for U, which decay from the 8 isomeric states of U into the 2 states of their daughter nuclei Th, respectively. The new results extend the systematics of the -decay fine structure for the = 124 and 126 even-even isotones.
小岩井 拓真*; Wimmer, K.*; Doornenbal, P.*; Obertelli, A.*; Barbieri, C.*; Duguet, T.*; Holt, J. D.*; 宮城 宇志*; Navrtil, P.*; 緒方 一介*; et al.
Physics Letters B, 827, p.136953_1 - 136953_7, 2022/04
被引用回数:4 パーセンタイル:52.69(Astronomy & Astrophysics)中性子過剰核Caでは、新魔法数34が発見されて以来、その構造を知るために多くの実験がなされてきたが、それを超える中性子過剰核の情報は全く知られてこなかった。本論文では、理化学研究所RIBFにてK, Ca, Caの励起状態から脱励起するガンマ線を初めて観測した結果を報告した。それぞれ1つのガンマ線しか得られなかったものの、KおよびCaのデータは、それぞれ、陽子のと軌道間のエネルギー差、中性子のと軌道間のエネルギー差を敏感に反映し、両方とも最新の殻模型計算によって200keV程度の精度で再現できることがわかった。また、1粒子状態の程度を特徴づける分光学的因子を実験データと歪曲波インパルス近似による反応計算から求め、その値も殻模型計算の値と矛盾しないことがわかった。
Bao, S.*; Wang, W.*; Shangguan, Y.*; Cai, Z.*; Dong, Z.-Y.*; Huang, Z.*; Si, W.*; Ma, Z.*; 梶本 亮一; 池内 和彦*; et al.
Physical Review X, 12(1), p.011022_1 - 011022_15, 2022/02
被引用回数:11 パーセンタイル:78.27(Physics, Multidisciplinary)In the local or itinerant extreme, magnetic excitations can be described by the Heisenberg model which treats electron spins as localized moments, or by the itinerant-electron model where the exchange interaction between electrons leads to unequal numbers of electrons with up and down spins. However, the nature of the magnetic excitations has been elusive when both local moments and itinerant electrons are present in the intermediate range. Using inelastic neutron scattering, we provide direct spectroscopic evidence on the coexistence of and interplay between local moments and itinerant electrons in a van der Waals metallic ferromagnet FeGeTe, which can sustain tunable room-temperature ferromagnetism down to the monolayer limit. We find that there exist ferromagnetic spin-wave excitations dispersing from the zone center at low energies resulting from local moments and a columnlike broad continuum at the zone boundary at high energies up to over 100 meV resulting from itinerant electrons. Unlike the two-dimensional crystal structure, the low-energy mode exhibits a three-dimensional nature, and the high-energy mode also has an out-of-plane dependence. Both modes persist well above the Curie temperature of 160 K. Our neutron spectroscopic data reveal that the low-energy spin waves at 100 K are more coherent than those at 4 K, which is evidence of the weakening of the Kondo screening at high temperatures. These results unambiguously demonstrate the coexistence of local moments and itinerant electrons and the Kondo effect between these two components in FeGeTe. Such behaviors are generally expected in heavy-fermion systems with heavy electrons but are rarely clearly observed in materials with light electrons. These findings shed light on the understanding of magnetism in transition-metal compounds.
Wang, X.*; Tang, X.*; Zhang, P.*; Wang, Y.*; Gao, D.*; Liu, J.*; Hui, K.*; Wang, Y.*; Dong, X.*; 服部 高典; et al.
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (Internet), 12(50), p.12055 - 12061, 2021/12
被引用回数:6 パーセンタイル:44.89(Chemistry, Physical)置換ポリアセチレンは、ポリアセチレン骨格の化学的安定性,物性,付加機能の向上が期待されるが、その多様性は非常に限られている。今回我々は、固体のアセチレンジカルボン酸に外圧を加えることにより、従来の方法では合成が非常に困難であったトランス-ポリアセチレン骨格上のすべての炭素がカルボキシル基に結合した結晶性のポリ-ジカルボキシルアセチレンができることを報告する。重合は、水素結合を利用したトポケミカル反応であった。このユニークな構造は、カルボニル基の極めて高い含有量とポリアセチレン骨格の高い導電性を組み合わせたもので、リチウムイオン電池(LIB)負極として高い比容量と優れたサイクル/レート性能を示す。我々は、完全に機能化された結晶性ポリアセチレンを紹介し、高分子LIB材料や活性基を多く含む高分子材料合成のために圧力重合が有力な方法であることを提案する。
Zhang, J.*; Chen, M.*; Chen, J.*; 山本 慧; Wang, H.*; Hamdi, M.*; Sun, Y.*; Wagner, K.*; He, W.*; Zhang, Y.*; et al.
Nature Communications (Internet), 12, p.7258_1 - 7258_8, 2021/12
被引用回数:14 パーセンタイル:77.64(Multidisciplinary Sciences)Magnons can transfer information in metals and insulators without Joule heating, and therefore are promising for low-power computation. The on-chip magnonics however suffers from high losses due to limited magnon decay length. In metallic thin films, it is typically on the tens of micrometre length scale. Here, we demonstrate an ultra-long magnon decay length of up to one millimetre in multiferroic/ferromagnetic BiFeO(BFO)/LaSrMnO (LSMO) heterostructures at room temperature. This decay length is attributed to a magnon-phonon hybridization and is more than two orders of magnitude longer than that of bare metallic LSMO. The long-distance modes have high group velocities of 2.5 km as detected by time-resolved Brillouin light scattering. Numerical simulations suggest that magnetoelastic coupling via the BFO/LSMO interface hybridizes phonons in BFO with magnons in LSMO. Our results provide a solution to the long-standing issue on magnon decay lengths in metallic magnets and advance the bourgeoning field of hybrid magnonics.
Shangguan, Y.*; Bao, S.*; Dong, Z.-Y.*; Cai, Z.*; Wang, W.*; Huang, Z.*; Ma, Z.*; Liao, J.*; Zhao, X.*; 梶本 亮一; et al.
Physical Review B, 104(22), p.224430_1 - 224430_8, 2021/12
被引用回数:1 パーセンタイル:7.92(Materials Science, Multidisciplinary)Dimerized magnets forming alternating Heisenberg chains exhibit quantum coherence and entanglement and thus can find potential applications in quantum information and computation. However, magnetic systems typically undergo thermal decoherence at finite temperatures. Here, we show inelastic neutron scattering results on an alternating antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic chain compound NaCuTeO that the excited quasiparticles can counter thermal decoherence and maintain strong correlations at elevated temperatures. At low temperatures, we observe clear dispersive singlet-triplet excitations arising from the dimers formed along the crystalline -axis. The excitation gap is of 18 meV and the bandwidth is about half of the gap. The band top energy has a weak modulation along the [100] direction, indicative of a small interchain coupling. The gap increases while the bandwidth decreases with increasing temperature, leading to a strong reduction in the available phase space for the triplons. As a result, the Lorentzian-type energy broadening becomes highly asymmetric as the temperature is raised. These results are associated with a strongly correlated state resulting from hard-core constraint and quasiparticle interactions. We consider these results to be not only evidence for strong correlations at finite temperatures in NaCuTeO, but also for the universality of the strongly correlated state in a broad range of quantum magnetic systems.