Interaction distance ($d(X,Y)$)

The interaction distance between disjoint supports can count the minimum number of interacting hyperedges in a chain connecting them. Overlapping supports have distance zero in the usual support convention. Distances between interaction terms can instead assign shell zero only to the central term and positive shells to distinct terms. The convention must be specified when using a truncated neighborhood Hamiltonian: ordinary zero support distance includes distinct overlapping terms.