  We study odd-membered chains of spin-(1/2) impurities, with each end
connected to its own metallic lead. For antiferromagnetic exchange coupling,
universal two-channel Kondo (2CK) physics is shown to arise at low energies.
Two overscreening mechanisms are found to occur depending on coupling strength,
with distinct signatures in physical properties. For strong inter-impurity
coupling, a residual chain spin-(1/2) moment experiences a renormalized
effective coupling to the leads; while in the weak-coupling regime, Kondo
coupling is mediated via incipient single-channel Kondo singlet formation. We
also investigate models where the leads are tunnel-coupled to the impurity
chain, permitting variable dot filling under applied gate voltages. Effective
low-energy models for each regime of filling are derived, and for even-fillings
where the chain ground state is a spin singlet, an orbital 2CK effect is found
to be operative. Provided mirror symmetry is preserved, 2CK physics is shown to
be wholly robust to variable dot filling; in particular the single-particle
spectrum at the Fermi level, and hence the low-temperature zero-bias
conductance, is always pinned to half-unitarity. We derive a Friedel-Luttinger
sum rule and from it show that, in contrast to a Fermi liquid, the Luttinger
integral is non-zero and determined solely by the `excess' dot charge as
controlled by gate voltage. The relevance of the work to real quantum dot
devices, where inter-lead charge-transfer processes fatal to 2CK physics are
present, is also discussed. Physical arguments and numerical renormalization
group techniques are used to obtain a detailed understanding of these problems.

Strongly Correlated Electrons