Band structure of silicene on zirconium diboride (0001) thin-film surface: Convergence of experiment and calculations in the one-Si-atom Brillouin zone

So far, it represents a challenging task to reproduce angle-resolved photoelectron (ARPES) spectra of epitaxial silicene by first-principles calculations. Here, we report on the resolution of the previously controversial issue related to the structural configuration of silicene on the ZrB2(0001) surface and its band structure. In particular, by representing the band structure in a large Brillouin zone associated with a single Si atom, it is found that the imaginary part of the one-particle Green's function follows the spectral weight observed in ARPES spectra. By additionally varying the in-plane lattice constant, the results of density functional theory calculations and ARPES data obtained in a wide energy range converge into the planarlike phase and provide the orbital character of electronic states in the vicinity of the Fermi level. It is anticipated that the choice of a smaller commensurate unit cell for the representation of the electronic structure will be useful for the study of epitaxial two-dimensional materials on various substrates in general.