We check the ab initio GW approximation and Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) many-body methodology against the exact solution benchmark of the hydrogen molecule H$_2$ ground state and excitation spectrum, and in comparison with the configuration interaction (CI) and time-dependent Hartree-Fock methods. The comparison is made on all the states we could unambiguously identify from the excitonic wave functions symmetry. At the equilibrium distance $R = 1.4 , a_0$, the GW+BSE energy levels are in good agreement with the exact results, with an accuracy of 0.1~0.2 eV. GW+BSE potential-energy curves are also in good agreement with the CI and the exact result up to $2.3 , a_0$. The solution no longer exists beyond $3.0 , a_0$ for triplets ($4.3 , a_0$ for singlets) due to instability of the ground state. We tried to improve the GW reference ground state by a renormalized random-phase approximation (r-RPA), but this did not solve the problem.
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