Probing cosmic history with merging compact binaries

The observation of the merger of compact binaries can help constrain the uncertain parameters that describe underlying processes in the evolution of stars and binary systems. Since the detection of gravitational waves by the advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (aLIGO) in 2015, the catalogue of compact binary mergers has grown to more than ninety events, and is expected to grow to hundreds of events during the fourth observing run of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration. We show how we can use the growing catalogue of detections to probe cosmic history by discovering constraints on parameters that describe processes that form the Universe.