  The propagation of ultracold atomic gases through abruptly changing waveguide
potentials is examined in the limit of non-interacting atoms. Time-independent
scattering calculations of microstructured waveguides with discontinuous
changes in the transverse harmonic binding potentials are used to mimic
waveguide perturbations and imperfections. Three basic configurations are
examined: step-like, barrier-like and well-like with waves incident in the
ground mode. At low energies, the spectra rapidly depart from single-moded,
with significant transmission and reflection of excited modes. The high-energy
limit sees 100 percent transmission, with the distribution of the transmitted
modes determined simply by the overlap of the mode wave functions and
interference.
