  We present exact solutions for two interacting electrons on an artificial
atom and on an artificial molecule made by one and two (single level) quantum
dots connected by ideal leads. Specifically, we calculate the accumulated
charge on the dots as function of the gate voltage, for various strengths of
the electron-electron interaction and of the hybridization between the dots and
the (one-dimensional) leads. With increasing of the (negative) gate voltage,
the accumulated charge in the two-electron ground state increases in gradual
steps from 0 to 1 and then to 2. The value 0 represents an "insulating" state,
where both electrons are bound to shallow states on the impurities. The value
of 1 corresponds to a "metal", with one electron localized on the dots and the
other extended on the leads. The value of 2 corresponds to another "insulator",
with both electrons strongly localized. The width of the "metallic" regime
diverges with strength of the electron-electron interaction for the single dot,
but remains very narrow for the double dot. These results are contrasted with
the simple Coulomb blockade picture.
