  We investigate theoretically the possibility of observing two-channel Kondo
(2CK) physics in tunnel-coupled double quantum dots (TCDQDs), at both zero and
finite magnetic fields; taking the two-impurity Anderson model (2AIM) as the
basic TCDQD model, together with effective low-energy models arising from it by
Schrieffer-Wolff transformations to second and third order in the tunnel
couplings. The models are studied primarily using Wilson's numerical
renormalization group. At zero-field our basic conclusion is that while 2CK
physics arises in principle provided the system is sufficiently
strongly-correlated, the temperature window over which it could be observed is
much lower than is experimentally feasible. This finding disagrees with recent
work on the problem, and we explain why. At finite field, we show that the
quantum phase transition known to arise at zero-field in the two-impurity Kondo
model (2IKM), with an essentially 2CK quantum critical point, persists at
finite fields. This raises the prospect of access to 2CK physics by tuning a
magnetic field, although preliminary investigation suggests this to be even
less feasible than at zero field.
