The award for this project allow further development of the computer code "Cloudy" to implement a new and powerful analysis technique for emission lines in active galactic nuclei (AGN), known as Independent Component Analysis. This will help connect the large array of existing spectroscopic measurements back to the physical nature of the emitting gas producing the emission lines, and from there back to the overall nature of the active galactic nucleus itself.
Broader impacts of the work include training of graduate students and postdocs in AGN physics and computer code development. Cloudy is used by hundreds of researchers in astronomy and this award will support continued development and distribution of this important tool.
