Abstract
Edge pedestal height and the accompanying ELM crash are critical elements of ITER physics yet to be understood and predicted through high performance computing. An entirely self-consistent first
principles simulation is being pursued as a long term research goal, and the plan is planned for
completion in time for ITER operation. However, a proof-of-principle work has already been
established using a computational tool that employs the best first principles physics available at the
present time. A kinetic edge equilibrium code XGC0, which can simulate the neoclassically dominant
pedestal growth from neutral ionization (using a phenomenological residual turbulence diffusion
motion superposed upon the neoclassical particle motion) is coupled to an extended MHD code M3D,
which can perform the nonlinear ELM crash. The stability boundary of the pedestal is checked by an
ideal MHD linear peeling-ballooning code, which has been validated against many experimental data
sets for the large scale (type I) ELMs onset boundary. The coupling workflow and scientific results to
be enabled by it are described.
