Compact binary populations with next-generation gravitational-wave detectors

The next generation of ground-based gravitational-wave detectors will be sensitive to nearly every stellar-mass compact object merger in the universe, expected to observe tens of thousands of these systems per year. With an anticipated order of magnitude improvement over the sensitivities of current facilities, proposed instruments like Cosmic Explorer and the Einstein Telescope will enable precision measurements of the properties of both individual compact-object binaries and the population as a whole. In this talk, I will present an overview of proposed next-generation detectors including their design concepts and science goals, among which are the elucidation of the formation channels of compact-object binaries, the growth of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, and the central engines powering the most energetic electromagnetic transients. I will describe the potential of these instruments to provide new probes of the evolution of the properties of compact objects across cosmic history, starting with the very first stars and black holes.