The Sutherland–Einstein Hypothesis on the Origin of Magnetic Fields of Astropysical Objects

Abstract: We discuss the theoretical and experimental foundations of the hypothesis on the origin of the magnetic fields of the Earth and other astrophysical objects, put forward in the early twentieth century by Sutherland and later by Einstein. According to this hypothesis, the electric charges of an electron and a proton are slightly different in absolute values, which, due to the rotation of the Earth (or another astronomical object), leads to emergence of a magnetic field. Terrestrial experiments aimed at determining the difference in the electric charges of an electron and a proton are discussed. The Sutherland–Einstein hypothesis is theoretically justified within the framework of two versions of the geometric approach: (1) in a simplified version of the 6-dimensional Kaluza–Klein theory, and (2) in the framework of the 5-dimensional Kaluza theory with scalarism, as well as in the framework of the relational approach. © 2021, Pleiades Publishing, Inc.