Bound states and threshold resonances in quantum wires with circular bends

We study the solutions to the wave equation in a two-dimensional tube of unit width comprised of two straight regions connected by a region of constant curvature. We introduce a numerical method which permits high accuracy at high curvature. We determine the bound state energies as well as the transmission and reflection matrices T and R and focus on the nature of the resonances that occur in the vicinity of channel thresholds. We explore the dependence of these solutions on the curvature of the tube and angle of the bend and discuss several limiting cases where our numerical results confirm analytic predictions. © 1996 The American Physical Society.