The question whether a given quantum state is a ground or thermal state of a few-body Hamiltonian can be used to characterize the complexity of the state and is important for possible experimental implementations. We provide methods to characterize the states generated by two- and, more generally, $k$-body Hamiltonians as well as the convex hull of these sets. This leads to new insights into the question of which states are uniquely determined by their marginals and to a generalization of the concept of entanglement. Finally, certification methods for quantum simulation can be derived.

• Received 18 January 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.010403