AGB population as probes of galaxy structure and evolution
  The evolution of galaxies is driven by the birth and death of stars. AGB
stars are at the end points of their evolution and therefore their luminosities
directly reflect their birth mass; this enables us to reconstruct the star
formation history. These cool stars also produce dust grains that play an
important role in the temperature regulation of the interstellar medium (ISM),
chemistry, and the formation of planets. These stars can be resolved in all of
the nearby galaxies. Therefore, the Local Group of galaxies offers us a superb
near-field cosmology site. Here we can reconstruct the formation histories, and
probe the structure and dynamics, of spiral galaxies, of the many dwarf
satellite galaxies surrounding the Milky Way and Andromeda, and of isolated
dwarf galaxies. It also offers a variety of environments in which to study the
detailed processes of galaxy evolution through studying the mass-loss mechanism
and dust production by cool evolved stars. In this paper, I will first review
our recent efforts to identify mass-losing Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars
and red supergiants (RSGs) in Local Group galaxies and to correlate spatial
distributions of the AGB stars of different mass with galactic structures.
Then, I will outline our methodology to reconstruct the star formation
histories using variable pulsating AGB stars and RSGs and present the results
for rates of mass-loss and dust production by pulsating AGB stars and their
analysis in terms of stellar evolution and galaxy evolution.
