The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support, a magnetic layer that includes ferromagnetic powder having an average particle volume of 2,500 nm.sup.3 or less on one surface side of the non-magnetic support, and a back coating layer that includes non-magnetic powder on the other surface side of the non-magnetic support, in which the ferromagnetic powder is ferromagnetic powder selected from the group consisting of hexagonal ferrite powder and -iron oxide powder, and a ratio (PSD.sub.5 m-PSDmag/PSD.sub.10 m-PSDbc) of the magnetic layer and the back coating layer is in a range of 0.0050 to 0.20. A magnetic tape cartridge and a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus include the magnetic tape.

Provided are a magnetic tape comprising a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on a non-magnetic support, in which the magnetic layer contains an oxide abrasive, an average particle diameter of the oxide abrasive obtained from a secondary ion image acquired by irradiating a surface of the magnetic layer with a focused ion beam is greater than 0.08 m and 0.14 m or smaller, and an absolute value N of a difference between a refractive index Nxy measured with respect to an in-plane direction of the magnetic layer and a refractive index Nz measured with respect to a thickness direction of the magnetic layer is 0.25 to 0.40, and a magnetic recording and reproducing device including the magnetic tape.

A magnetic recording medium includes: a substrate that is long in shape; and a magnetic layer containing magnetic powder and a binder. The glass transition point of the binder is not lower than 75 C. In a case where atomic force microscope observation images in a 10 m10 m rectangular shape are acquired at five locations randomly selected from the surface on the side of the magnetic layer, any linear protrusion that is 3 nm to 20 nm in height, is 0.3 m to 1.0 m in width, and extends across two sides of the observation image does not exist in the observation images of four locations among the acquired observation images of the five locations.

A heat-assisted magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, an underlayer, and a magnetic layer including an alloy having a L1.sub.0 crystal structure and first and second layers, arranged in this order. Each of the first and second layers has a granular structure including C, SiO.sub.2, and BN at grain boundaries. Vol % of the grain boundaries in each of the first and second layers is 25 to 45 vol %. Vol % of C in the first layer is 5 to 22 vol %, and a volume ratio of SiO.sub.2 with respect to BN in each of the first and second layers is 0.25 to 3.5. Vol % of SiO.sub.2 in the second layer is greater than that of the first layer by 5 vol % or more. Vol % of BN in the second layer is smaller than that in the first layer by 2 vol % or more.

A heat-assisted magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, an underlayer, and a magnetic layer including an alloy having a L1.sub.0 crystal structure and first and second layers, arranged in this order. Each of the first and second layers has a granular structure including C, SiO.sub.2, and BN at grain boundaries. Vol % of the grain boundaries in each of the first and second layers is 25 to 45 vol %. Vol % of C in the first layer is 5 to 22 vol %, and a volume ratio of SiO.sub.2 with respect to BN in each of the first and second layers is 0.25 to 3.5. Vol % of SiO.sub.2 in the second layer is greater than that of the first layer by 5 vol % or more. Vol % of BN in the second layer is smaller than that in the first layer by 2 vol % or more.

A heat-assisted magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, an underlayer, and a magnetic layer including an alloy having a L1.sub.0 crystal structure and first and second layers, arranged in this order. Each of the first and second layers has a granular structure including C, SiO.sub.2, and BN at grain boundaries. Vol % of the grain boundaries in each of the first and second layers is 25 to 45 vol %. Vol % of C in the first layer is 5 to 22 vol %, and a volume ratio of SiO.sub.2 with respect to BN in each of the first and second layers is 0.25 to 3.5. Vol % of SiO.sub.2 in the second layer is greater than that of the first layer by 5 vol % or more. Vol % of BN in the second layer is smaller than that in the first layer by 2 vol % or more.

The magnetic tape device includes a Tunneling Magnetoresistive (TMR) head as a reproducing head; and a magnetic tape which includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, an XRD intensity ratio (Int(110)/Int(114)) of a hexagonal ferrite crystal structure obtained by an X-ray diffraction analysis of the magnetic layer by using an In-Plane method is 0.5 to 4.0, a vertical direction squareness ratio of the magnetic tape is 0.65 to 1.00, a center line average surface roughness Ra measured regarding a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or smaller than 2.0 nm, and a logarithmic decrement acquired by a pendulum viscoelasticity test performed regarding the surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or smaller than 0.050.

The magnetic tape device includes a Tunneling Magnetoresistive (TMR) head as a reproducing head; and a magnetic tape which includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, an XRD intensity ratio (Int(110)/Int(114)) of a hexagonal ferrite crystal structure obtained by an X-ray diffraction analysis of the magnetic layer by using an In-Plane method is 0.5 to 4.0, a vertical direction squareness ratio of the magnetic tape is 0.65 to 1.00, a center line average surface roughness Ra measured regarding a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or smaller than 2.0 nm, and a logarithmic decrement acquired by a pendulum viscoelasticity test performed regarding the surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or smaller than 0.050.

A magnetic tape in which a tape thickness of the magnetic tape is 5.2 ?m or less, and in an environment with a temperature of 23? C. and a relative humidity of 50%, an AlFeSil abrasion value.sub.45? of a surface of the magnetic layer measured at a tilt angle of 45? of an AlFeSil prism is 20 ?m to 50 ?m, a standard deviation of an AlFeSil abrasion value of the surface of the magnetic layer measured at each of tilt angles of 0?, 15?, 30?, and 45? of the AlFeSil prism is 30 ?m or less, and the tilt angle of the AlFeSil prism is an angle formed by a longitudinal direction of the AlFeSil prism and a width direction of the magnetic tape.

A magnetic tape in which a vertical switching field distribution SFD of the magnetic tape is 1.5 or less, and in an environment with a temperature of 32 C. and a relative humidity of 80%, a frictional force F.sub.45 on the surface of the magnetic layer with respect to an LTO8 head measured at a head tilt angle of 45 is 4 gf to 15 gf, and a standard deviation of a frictional force F on the surface of the magnetic layer with respect to the LTO8 head measured at each of head tilt angles of 0, 15, 30, and 45 is 10 gf or less.