Avoid extra copies when pickling, and serialize DensityMap data in one block - #1127

Node.js 20 is deprecated. The following actions target Node.js 20 but are being forced to run on Node.js 24: hendrikmuhs/ccache-action@v1.2. For more information see: https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-19-deprecation-of-node-20-on-github-actions-runners/