The XMM-Newton view of the radio quiet neutron star 1E 1207.4-5209

The X-ray source 1E 1207.4-5209 belongs to the emerging class of radio quiet neutron stars. Its neutron star nature, suggested by its location at the geometrical center of the shell-like supernova remnant G296.5+10.0, has been confirmed by the Chandra discovery of pulsations at 424 ms. Surprisingly, a recent measurement of its period derivative, implies an extremely long characteristic age. This can be interpreted either rejecting the association with SNR, or by assuming that the pulsar was born about 10,000 years ago with a period very close to the present value. We present the spectral and timing results of an XMM-Newton observation of 1E 1207.4-5209. In particular, the accurate spectral analysis made possible by the large collecting area of the EPIC instrument, allows us to constrain the properties of the neutron star.