The implication of this point of view is that protons and neutrons retain their structure in a nucleus. That is the 3 quarks making up nucleons still closely interact and interactions with quarks from other nucleons in the nucleus are "at a distance" (relatively speaking, of course). How accurate is this picture?
In analogy with molecules. The atoms retain their structure, but are deformed. And we have things like covalent and ionic bonds.
Are their similarly flavored interactions among nucleons in a nucleus? For example, will two nucleons share a quark or exchange quarks?
