A magnetic recording medium includes a support, a recording layer, and a protective layer provided on at least one surface of the support and containing plate-shaped particle powder. The plate-shaped particle powder is stacked in an overlapping manner in a thickness direction of the protective layer such that main surfaces of plate-shaped particles face a surface of the support, and the plate-shaped particles have an average plate ratio of 60 or more.

A magnetic recording medium that includes a substrate, an insulation layer applied onto a surface of the substrate, and a magnetic layer applied onto the insulation layer. The insulation layer is made from a redox-corrosion-inhibiting material. In one embodiment, the insulation layer inhibits redox corrosion by inhibiting electron transfer through the insulation layer (e.g., inhibits electron transfer between the substrate and the magnetic layer).

A magnetic recording medium which is capable of effectively preventing a surface thereof from being contaminated, and is capable of preventing a contaminant thereon from adhering (being transferred) to a magnetic head, and a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus including the magnetic recording medium are provided, A carbon protective layer of the magnetic recording medium is nitrided, and as a lubricant a compound A expressed by the following General Formula (1) and a compound B expressed by the following General Formula (2) are mixed and used.
R.sup.1C.sub.6H.sub.4OCH.sub.2CH(OH)CH.sub.2OCH.sub.2R.sup.2CH.sub.2OCH.sub.2CH(OH)CH.sub.2OH(1)
CH.sub.2(OH)CH(OH)CH.sub.2OCH.sub.2CF.sub.2CF.sub.2(OCF.sub.2CF.sub.2CF.sub.2).sub.mOCF.sub.2CF.sub.2CH.sub.2OCH.sub.2CH(OH)CH.sub.2OH(2)

Described is an apparatus which comprises: a heat spreading layer; a first transition metal layer adjacent to the heat spreading layer; and a magnetic recording layer adjacent to the first transition metal layer. Described is an apparatus which comprises: a first electrode; a magnetic junction having a free magnet; and one or more layers of Jahn-Teller material adjacent to the first electrode and the free magnet of the magnetic junction.

Provided is a glass for a magnetic recording medium substrate or for a glass spacer for a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, in which a mole ratio of the total content of Al.sub.2O.sub.3and MgO relative to the total content of SiO.sub.2 and CaO [(Al.sub.2O.sub.3+MgO)/(SiO.sub.2+CaO)] is in a range of 0.417 or more and 0.6 or less, the total content of SiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (SiO.sub.2+Al.sub.2O.sub.3) is in a range of 64 mol % or more and 85 mol % or less, the total content of SiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, MgO, and CaO (SiO.sub.2+Al.sub.2O.sub.3+MgO+CaO) is in a range of 87 mol % or more and 98 mol % or less, the Na.sub.2O content is 0 mol %, and an average linear expansion coefficient of the glass at 100? C. to 300? C. is 68?10.sup.?7/? C. or less.

Provided is a glass for a magnetic recording medium substrate or for a glass spacer for a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, in which a mole ratio of the total content of Al.sub.2O.sub.3and MgO relative to the total content of SiO.sub.2 and CaO [(Al.sub.2O.sub.3+MgO)/(SiO.sub.2+CaO)] is in a range of 0.417 or more and 0.6 or less, the total content of SiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (SiO.sub.2+Al.sub.2O.sub.3) is in a range of 64 mol % or more and 85 mol % or less, the total content of SiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, MgO, and CaO (SiO.sub.2+Al.sub.2O.sub.3+MgO+CaO) is in a range of 87 mol % or more and 98 mol % or less, the Na.sub.2O content is 0 mol %, and an average linear expansion coefficient of the glass at 100? C. to 300? C. is 68?10.sup.?7/? C. or less.

An object is to provide a magnetic recording medium excellent in an electromagnetic conversion characteristic and traveling performance.

The present technology provides a magnetic recording medium including a magnetic layer containing a magnetic powder, the magnetic recording medium having an average magnetic cluster size of 1850 nm.sup.2 or less, the average magnetic cluster size measured on the basis of an MFM image of a surface on a side of the magnetic layer, the magnetic layer containing first particles having conductivity and second particles having a Mohs hardness of 7 or more, in which protrusions are formed by the first particles and protrusions are formed by the second particles on the surface on the side of the magnetic layer, and a ratio (H.sub.1/H.sub.2) of an average height H.sub.1 of the protrusions formed by the first particles to an average height H.sub.2 of the protrusions formed by the second particles is 2.00 or less.

The magnetic tape has one or more of each of an area A and an area B having different center line average surface roughness Ra measured on a surface of a magnetic layer in a region over a part of the magnetic tape in a longitudinal direction, with a ratio B.sub.Mag/A.sub.Mag of 1.20 to 10.00 and a ratio B.sub.Mag/B.sub.Back of equal to or greater than 2.0 in a case where extraction amounts per unit area of a component selected from the group consisting of fatty acid, fatty acid ester, and fatty acid amide extracted from a magnetic layer side of the area A and the area B are defined as A.sub.Mag and B.sub.Mag respectively, and an extraction amount per unit area of the above component extracted from a back coating layer side of the area B is defined as B.sub.Back.

The magnetic tape has one or more of each of an area A and an area B having different center line average surface roughness Ra measured on a surface of a magnetic layer in a region over a part of the magnetic tape in a longitudinal direction, with a ratio B.sub.Mag/A.sub.Mag of 1.20 to 10.00 and a ratio B.sub.Mag/B.sub.Back of equal to or greater than 2.0 in a case where extraction amounts per unit area of a component selected from the group consisting of fatty acid, fatty acid ester, and fatty acid amide extracted from a magnetic layer side of the area A and the area B are defined as A.sub.Mag and B.sub.Mag respectively, and an extraction amount per unit area of the above component extracted from a back coating layer side of the area B is defined as B.sub.Back.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having a tape bearing surface, a magnetic transducer in a thin film region, and an edge closest to the transducers. A guide is positioned relative to the edge for inducing tenting of a moving magnetic recording tape above a tape tenting region of the tape bearing surface. The magnetic transducer is positioned along the tape tenting region. The magnetic transducer is positioned a distance from a location on the tape bearing surface directly under a peak that is more than one-fourth the length from the location directly under the peak to the edge closest thereto.