The physics program started when the Centre was first established and, consequently, there was insufficient time for the careful planning that has preceded later programs at the Centre. Nevertheless, a productive program was organized with full international participation. Researchers from USA, Germany, Israel and UK, among others, participated in the project.

We were particularly pleased that Professor Benoit Mandelbrot (IBM/Yale University, USA), a world renowned scientist who single-handedly developed the field of fractal geometry, was able to participate in the program during three separate visits to Norway. Through his work, Prof. Mandelbrot has had a profound impact in almost every field in the natural sciences and economics. His work is the very foundation of our activities at the Centre.

Scientifically, the project have had lasting impact in several different directions:
• Prof. Meakin wrote the draft of the monograph on “Fractals, scaling and growth far from equilibrium”, published in 1998 with the Cambridge University Press. The book describes the progress that had been made towards the development of a comprehensive understanding of the formation of complex, disorderly patterns under conditions far from equilibrium.
• A program on river modelling was initiated.
• New programs were also started on the computer simulation of single phase and multi phase flow in porous media, using novel algorithmic modelling methods.