  Taking advantage of the very precise de Jager et al. optical white dwarf
orbit and spin ephemerides; ASCA, XMMN, and Chandra X-ray observations spread
over 10 yrs; and a cumulative 27 yr baseline, we have found that in recent
years the white dwarf in AE Aqr is spinning down at a rate that is slightly
faster than predicted by the de Jager et al. spin ephemeris. At the present
time, the observed period evolution is consistent with either a cubic term in
the spin ephemeris with Pdouble_dot = 3.46(56)E-19 per d, which is inconsistent
in sign and magnitude with magnetic-dipole radiation losses, or an additional
quadratic term with Pdot = 2.0(1.0)E-15 d/d, which is consistent with a modest
increase in the accretion torques spinning down the white dwarf. Regular
monitoring, in the optical, ultraviolet, and/or X-rays, is required to track
the evolution of the spin period of the white dwarf in AE Aqr.
