Impossibility of an acyclic relativistic electric motor

The relativistic torque acting on a circuit carrying a current and having a uniform translatory motion in a constant and uniform electric field would seem to suggest the possibility of an acyclic relativistic electric motor. However, the net effect on the side parallel to the rotation axis is exactly balanced by the variation of the angular momentum (in the case of an insulating circuit transporting electric charges) or by the external moment due to the magnetic field (in the case of a conducting circuit) acting on the two sides perpendicular to the rotation axis. (author)