  Quantum many-body systems exhibit an extremely diverse range of phases and
physical phenomena. Here, we prove that the entire physics of any other quantum
many-body system is replicated in certain simple, "universal" spin-lattice
models. We first characterise precisely what it means for one quantum many-body
system to replicate the entire physics of another. We then show that certain
very simple spin-lattice models are universal in this very strong sense.
Examples include the Heisenberg and XY models on a 2D square lattice (with
non-uniform coupling strengths). We go on to fully classify all two-qubit
interactions, determining which are universal and which can only simulate more
restricted classes of models. Our results put the practical field of analogue
Hamiltonian simulation on a rigorous footing and take a significant step
towards justifying why error correction may not be required for this
application of quantum information technology.
