All stars with initial mass below roughly 8 solar masses eventually
evolve to the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). In this phase they suffer
strong winds powered by pulsation and dust formation. The winds carry
to the surrounding medium large abundances of the heavy elements from
carbon to lead, which were produced by nuclear reactions in the deep
hot layers of the star. I will show how independent constraints from
stellar seismology can help us to pin down the effect of stellar
rotation, a current major uncertainty on the production of the heavy
elements in AGB stars. I will also describe how the production of
radioactive nuclei in AGB stars has allowed us to date the last AGB
star that contributed to the material in the Solar System, and the
implication of this timing on our understanding of the birth of the
Sun.
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