Can the 33 s pulsations observed from AE Aquarii be explained in terms of accretion onto the white dwarf surface?

The 33 s pulsing component observed from AEAqr is frequently assumed to be the result of accretion onto the surface of a rotating white dwarf. The val idity of this assumption is discussed in the present paper. I show that und er the conditions of interest the white dwarf is in the state of supersonic propeller and the efficiency of plasma penetration into its magnetosphere is less than or similar to 0.1%. This is too small to explain the observed luminosity of the pulsing component. Moreover, I find that for the currentl y established value of the angle between the magnetic and rotational axes o f the white dwarf, the material entering the magnetosphere at the boundary can never reach its surface by owing along the magnetic field lines. I conc lude that the assumption about the direct accretion onto the surface of the white dwarf in AEAqr contradicts the observational data obtained in the op tical/UV and thus cannot be accepted.