Martin Brown wrote on 8/18/2017 5:23 AM:
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>> It is extremely unlikely that nucleons will take up simple cubic
>> arrangements the short range nuclear forces are so strong that they will
>> almost always be in the tightest close packed configuration available and
>> with the protons as far apart from each other as they can get.
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>> Although a chemistry URL for atoms it applies equally well to nucleons in
>> terms of how close to each other they will sit at equilibrium.
>
> You are treating this as if the protons and neutrons are tiny spheres.
> We don't have much reason to believe that. In fact research has shown
> that the apparent shape varies and can even look like a torus or a peanut.
Or even a bagel, but on average they *are* a pretty good approximation to an incompressible sphere with quantum fluctuations to more esoteric shapes. That holds good until you get nuclear material in quantities of up to about a couple of stellar masses in neutron stars beyond that not even degeneracy pressure can prevent formation of a black hole.
Modern models take that nucleon soupiness into account and give better results than the earlier nuclear physics theories. Parts of which were still considered classified material even as late as the 1970's.