Abstract
Subband dispersions of quantum-well states in Ag films on Ge(111) have been determined by angle-resolved photoemission. The effective masses of the subbands at the zone center increase substantially for decreasing film thicknesses. This peculiar behavior is attributed to a kinetic constraint for standing-wave formation governed by a momentum-dependent phase-shift function. No evidence is found for in-plane electron localization within the confined geometry. © 2008 The American Physical Society.