The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer in which the magnetic layer has a timing-based servo pattern, an edge shape of the timing-based servo pattern, specified by magnetic force microscopy is a shape in which a difference between a value L.sub.99.9 of a cumulative distribution function of 99.9% and a value L.sub.0.1 of a cumulative distribution function of 0.1% in a position deviation width from an ideal shape of the magnetic tape in a longitudinal direction is 180 nm or less, and a difference between a spacing S.sub.after measured on a surface of the magnetic layer by an optical interferometry after methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning and a spacing S.sub.before measured on the surface of the magnetic layer by an optical interferometry before methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning is greater than 0 nm and 15.0 nm or less.

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 0.04 μm to 0.08 μm, and an absolute value ΔN 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.

The magnetic recording medium includes: a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder, in which a difference S.sub.after−S.sub.before between a spacing S.sub.after measured on a surface of the magnetic layer by optical interferometry after methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning and a spacing S.sub.before measured on the surface of the magnetic layer by optical interferometry before methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning is more than 0 nm and 15.0 nm or less, and the non-magnetic support is an aromatic polyamide support having a moisture absorption of 2.2% or less.

The magnetic recording medium includes: a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder, in which a difference S.sub.after−S.sub.before between a spacing S.sub.after measured on a surface of the magnetic layer by optical interferometry after methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning and a spacing S.sub.before measured on the surface of the magnetic layer by optical interferometry before methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning is more than 0 nm and 15.0 nm or less, and the non-magnetic support is an aromatic polyamide support having a moisture absorption of 2.2% or less.

In a magnetic recording medium, a number distribution A of a plurality of bright regions, based on equivalent circle diameters thereof, in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer by a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 5 kV and a number distribution B of a plurality of dark regions, based on equivalent circle diameters thereof, in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer by a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 2 kV respectively satisfy a predetermined number distribution.

In a magnetic recording medium, a number distribution A of a plurality of bright regions, based on equivalent circle diameters thereof, in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer by a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 5 kV and a number distribution B of a plurality of dark regions, based on equivalent circle diameters thereof, in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer by a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 2 kV respectively satisfy a predetermined number distribution.

The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer in which the magnetic layer has a timing-based servo pattern, an edge shape of the timing-based servo pattern, specified by magnetic force microscopy is a shape in which a difference between a value L.sub.99.9 of a cumulative distribution function of 99.9% and a value L.sub.0.1 of a cumulative distribution function of 0.1% in a position deviation width from an ideal shape of the magnetic tape in a longitudinal direction is 180 nm or less, and a difference between a spacing S.sub.after measured on a surface of the magnetic layer by an optical interferometry after methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning and a spacing S.sub.before measured on the surface of the magnetic layer by an optical interferometry before methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning is greater than 0 nm and 15.0 nm or less.

The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support and a magnetic layer, in which an edge shape of the timing-based servo pattern, specified by magnetic force microscopy is a shape in which a difference between a value L.sub.99.9 of a cumulative distribution function of 99.9% and a value L.sub.0.1 of a cumulative distribution function of 0.1% in a position deviation width from an ideal shape of the magnetic tape in a longitudinal direction is 180 nm or less, and in which a difference between a spacing S.sub.after measured on a surface of the magnetic layer by an optical interferometry after ethanol cleaning and a spacing S.sub.before measured on the surface of the magnetic layer by an optical interferometry before ethanol cleaning is greater than 0 nm and 6.0 nm or less.

The magnetic tape includes: a non-magnetic support; a magnetic layer that includes ferromagnetic powder 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 strontium ferrite powder and ε-iron oxide powder, and the number of protrusions having a height of 50 nm or more and less than 75 nm on a surface of the back coating layer is 700 pieces/6400 μm.sup.2 or less.

The magnetic tape includes: a non-magnetic support; a magnetic layer that includes ferromagnetic powder 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 strontium ferrite powder and ε-iron oxide powder, and the number of protrusions having a height of 50 nm or more and less than 75 nm on a surface of the back coating layer is 700 pieces/6400 μm.sup.2 or less.