Constraining models of Population III stars using gravitational-wave observations

A stochastic gravitational-wave background arises from the superposition of many incoherent sources of gravitational waves, which may be cosmological or astrophysical in origin.~ Recent searches for the stochastic background using LIGO and Virgo data have placed upper limits on the energy density spectrum.~ Here, we present a method for using measurements of the stochastic background to constrain the parameters of theoretical models, focusing on a background produced by the core-collapse of Population III stars.~ Finally, we discuss what can be achieved with future generations of gravitational-wave detectors, including Advanced LIGO and the Einstein Telescope.