  The electronic structure of the recently synthesised (3x3) reconstructed
silicene on (4x4) Ag(111) is investigated by first-principles calculations. New
states emerge due to the strong hybridization between silicene and Ag.
Analyzing the nature and composition of these hybridized states, we show that
i) it is possible to clearly distinguish them from states coming from the Dirac
cone of free-standing silicene or from the sp-bands of bulk Ag and ii) assign
their contribution to the description of the linearly dispersing band observed
in photoemission. Furthermore, we show that silicene atoms contribute to the
Fermi level, which leads to similar STM patterns as observed below or above the
Fermi level. Our findings are crucial for the proper interpretation of
experimental observations.
