  We show that quasi-bound electron states are formed in a quantum wire as a
result of electron backscattering in the transition regions between the wire
and the electron reservoirs, to which the wire is coupled. The backscattering
mechanism is caused by electron density oscillations arising even in smooth
transitions due to the reflection of electrons not transmitting through the
wire. The quasi-bound states reveal themselves in resonances of the electron
transmission probability through the wire. The calculations were carried out
within the Hartree-Fock approximation using quasiclassic wavefunctions.
