Letter to the Editor

Unraveling the origin of giant exoplanets

Observational implications of convective mixing

Department of Astrophysics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland

^⋆ Corresponding author: henrik.knierim@uzh.ch

Received: 12 March 2025
Accepted: 16 April 2025

Abstract

The connection between the atmospheric composition of giant planets and their origin remains elusive. In this study, we explore how convective mixing can link the primordial planetary state to its atmospheric composition. We simulate the long-term evolution of gas giants with masses between 0.3 and 3 M_J, considering various composition profiles and primordial entropies (assuming no entropy-mass dependence). Our results show that when convective mixing is considered, the atmospheric metallicity increases with time and that this time evolution encodes information about the primordial planetary structure. Additionally, the degree of compositional mixing affects the planetary radius, altering its evolution in a measurable way. By applying mock observations, we demonstrate that combining radius and atmospheric composition can help to constrain the planetary formation history. Young systems emerge as prime targets for such characterization, with lower-mass gas giants (approaching Saturn’s mass) being particularly susceptible to mixing-induced changes. Our findings highlight convective mixing as a key mechanism for probing the primordial state of giant planets, offering new constraints on formation models and demonstrating that the conditions inside giant planets shortly after their formation are not necessarily erased over billions of years and can leave a lasting imprint on their evolution.