Collaboration between France and Norway on geologically relevant physical processes

This collaboration between four French and two Norwegian groups focuses on three aspects of soft and disordered condensed matter prysics: 1) dynamics of granular media, 2) elastic properties of rough surfaces, and 3) fracture dynamics. The collaboration h as run for several years and is well established. It centers on the exchange of graduate students between groups in the two countries. At the present stage of the collaboration, we will focus on the following aspects of the three general themes listed abo ve: 1) we are different flow regimes, 2) we are studying the elastic properties and frictional properties of self-affine surfaces in contact, and 3) we are studying dynamical aspects of brittle fracture.