Provided is a sputtering target, the sputtering target containing 0.05 at % or more of Bi and having a total content of metal oxides of from 10 vol % to 60 vol %, the balance containing at least Co and Pt.

A hexagonal strontium ferrite powder, in which an average particle size is 10.0 to 25.0 nm, a content of one or more kinds of atom selected from the group consisting of a gallium atom, a scandium atom, an indium atom, and an antimony atom is 1.0 to 15.0 atom % with respect to 100.0 atom % of an iron atom, and a coercivity Hc is greater than 2,000 Oe and smaller than 4.000 Oe. A magnetic recording medium including: a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including a ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, in which the ferromagnetic powder is the hexagonal strontium ferrite powder. A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus including this magnetic recording medium.

A sputtering target according to the present invention contains Co and Pt as metal components, wherein a molar ratio of a content of Pt to a content of Co is from 5/100 to 45/100, and wherein the sputtering target contains Nb.sub.2O.sub.5 as a metal oxide component.

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 ε-iron oxide powder, and a ratio (PSD.sub.5μm-PSDmag/PSD.sub.10μm-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.

The magnetic tape cartridge group includes a plurality of magnetic tape cartridges. Regarding 100 reels of magnetic tape cartridges, in a case where a maximum value of an absolute value of a difference between a servo band spacing obtained before predetermined storage and a servo band spacing obtained after the predetermined storage is defined as A, an arithmetic mean of medium lives calculated by a linear function derived from a value of A obtained for different N and a value of the logarithm of total storage time T of the storage of N cycles is 3 years or longer and 3σ is 1 year or shorter. Medium life: T in a case where A satisfies A=1.5−B. B: a value calculated by multiplying a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of servo band spacings obtained in each of the five environments by ½.

In the magnetic recording and reproducing device, a distal end width of the first magnetic pole in the recording element is substantially the same as a distal end width of the second magnetic pole; the reproducing element width of the reproducing element is equal to or less than 0.8 μm; and in the magnetic recording medium, a number distribution A of equivalent circle diameters of a plurality of bright areas in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer with a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 5 kV, and a number distribution B of equivalent circle diameters of a plurality of dark areas in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging the surface of the magnetic layer with a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 2 kV satisfy predetermined number distribution, respectively.

A servo writer includes a running unit that sends a tape-like magnetic recording medium out from a cartridge, winds up the sent out magnetic recording medium, and runs the magnetic recording medium; an erasing unit that erases a first servo pattern formed in the magnetic recording medium that runs; a head that writes a servo signal in the running magnetic recording medium from which the first servo pattern is erased and forms a second servo pattern; and a control unit that controls the head so that the servo signal is written in at least one period of an accelerated running period and a decelerated running period of the magnetic recording medium, and forms the second servo pattern that does not satisfy a standard in the magnetic recording medium.

Provided is a magnetic recording medium configured to achieve higher density recording. The magnetic recording medium has a tape-like shape, and includes: a base containing polyester as a main constituent; and a magnetic layer provided on the base, including a plurality of magnetic powders, and configured to record a data signal. An average thickness of the magnetic recording medium is 5.6 μm or less. An average thickness of the base is 4.2 μm or less. An average thickness of the magnetic layer is 90 nm or less. An average aspect ratio of the magnetic powders is 1.0 or greater and 3.0 or less. A coercivity in a perpendicular direction is 3000 oersted or less. A rate of a coercivity in a longitudinal direction to the coercivity in the perpendicular direction is 0.8 or less. The magnetic layer includes a lubricant. An entire BET specific surface area of the magnetic recording medium from which the lubricant has been removed is 2.5 m.sup.2/g or greater.

Provided is a magnetic recording medium configured to achieve higher density recording. The magnetic recording medium has a tape-like shape, and includes: a base containing polyester as a main constituent; and a magnetic layer provided on the base, including a plurality of magnetic powders, and configured to record a data signal. An average thickness of the magnetic recording medium is 5.6 μm or less. An average thickness of the base is 4.2 μm or less. An average thickness of the magnetic layer is 90 nm or less. An average aspect ratio of the magnetic powders is 1.0 or greater and 3.0 or less. A coercivity in a perpendicular direction is 3000 oersted or less. A rate of a coercivity in a longitudinal direction to the coercivity in the perpendicular direction is 0.8 or less. The magnetic layer includes a lubricant. An entire BET specific surface area of the magnetic recording medium from which the lubricant has been removed is 2.5 m.sup.2/g or greater.

A method of producing a magnetic powder includes: performing heat treatment on first particles that contain triiron tetraoxide to prepare second particles that contain ε-iron oxide.