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Abstract

Theoretical and experimental foundations of the hypothesis about the origin of the magnetic fields of the Earth and other astrophysical objects, proposed in the early 20th century by W. Sutherland, A. Einstein, and independently by Yu.S. Vladimirov, are discussed in the paper. According to this hypothesis, the electric charges of the electron and proton slightly differ in magnitude, leading to the emergence of a magnetic field in rotating astrophysical objects. The theoretical justification of the Sutherland-Einstein hypothesis is presented in a simplified version of the 6D Kaluza-Klein theory, taking into account the consequences of the Kerr-Newman metric. The analysis shows that a fundamental dipole-type magnetic field should arise around any massive rotating body. However, in real astrophysical objects, such a field is largely screened and distorted by induced charges and currents. As an application, we consider the problem of determining the magnetic fields of hot Jupiters, since the strong tidal effects in these giant exoplanets should result in approximately similar screening mechanisms.