An aspect of the present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium, which comprises a magnetic layer comprising ferromagnetic powder and binder on a nonmagnetic support, wherein the magnetic layer further comprises a compound which has a weight average molecular weight of equal to or more than 1,000 but less than 20,000 and is denoted by formula (1): ##STR00001##
wherein, in formula (1), A.sup.1 denotes a monovalent polymer group, each of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 independently denotes a single bond or a divalent connecting group, R.sup.11 denotes a hydrogen atom or a monovalent substituent, m denotes an integer of equal to or greater than 2, multiple instances of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, A.sup.1, and R.sup.11 that are present can be identical or different, A.sup.2 denotes a hydrogen atom or a monovalent substituent denoted by —OR.sup.3—Z, R.sup.3 denotes a single bond or a divalent connecting group, Z denotes a monovalent acid group, among multiple instances of A.sup.2 that are present, at least one denotes a monovalent group denoted by —O—R.sup.3—Z, and X denotes a connecting group of valence m.

A tape-shaped magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; and a magnetic layer that is provided on the substrate and contains a magnetic powder. An average thickness of the magnetic layer is not more than 90 nm, an average aspect ratio of the magnetic powder is not less than 1.0 and not more than 3.0, the coercive force Hc1 in a vertical direction is not more than 3000 Oe, and the coercive force Hc1 in the vertical direction and a coercive force Hc2 in a longitudinal direction satisfy a relationship of Hc2/Hc1≤0.8.

A tape-shaped magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; and a magnetic layer that is provided on the substrate and contains a magnetic powder. An average thickness of the magnetic layer is not more than 90 nm, an average aspect ratio of the magnetic powder is not less than 1.0 and not more than 3.0, the coercive force Hc1 in a vertical direction is not more than 3000 Oe, and the coercive force Hc1 in the vertical direction and a coercive force Hc2 in a longitudinal direction satisfy a relationship of Hc2/Hc1≤0.8.

An information processing device includes a generation unit that generates a hierarchy of a group that classifies each piece of data from information about each of a plurality of pieces of data to be recorded, and a control unit that controls recording of the plurality of pieces of data included in a group of the hierarchy at a highest level on a magnetic recording medium in a recording order according to an order from an upper hierarchy to a lower hierarchy, for each group of the hierarchy at the highest level. The magnetic recording medium has a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on a non-magnetic support. A difference between spacings S.sub.0.5 and S.sub.13.5 measured under pressures of 0.5 atm and 13.5 atm by an optical interference method after n-hexane cleaning on a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or less than 3.0 nm.

An information processing device includes a generation unit that generates a hierarchy of a group that classifies each piece of data from information about each of a plurality of pieces of data to be recorded, and a control unit that controls recording of the plurality of pieces of data included in a group of the hierarchy at a highest level on a magnetic recording medium in a recording order according to an order from an upper hierarchy to a lower hierarchy, for each group of the hierarchy at the highest level. The magnetic recording medium has a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on a non-magnetic support. A difference between spacings S.sub.0.5 and S.sub.13.5 measured under pressures of 0.5 atm and 13.5 atm by an optical interference method after n-hexane cleaning on a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or less than 3.0 nm.

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 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.

An information processing device includes a generation unit that generates a hierarchy of a group that classifies each piece of data from information about each of a plurality of pieces of data to be recorded, and a control unit that controls recording of the plurality of pieces of data included in a group of the hierarchy at a highest level on a magnetic recording medium in a recording order according to an order from an upper hierarchy to a lower hierarchy, for each group of the hierarchy at the highest level. The magnetic recording medium has a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on a non-magnetic support. A difference between spacings S.sub.0.5 and S.sub.13.5 measured under pressures of 0.5 atm and 13.5 atm by an optical interference method after n-hexane cleaning on a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or less than 3.0 nm.

An information processing device includes a generation unit that generates a hierarchy of a group that classifies each piece of data from information about each of a plurality of pieces of data to be recorded, and a control unit that controls recording of the plurality of pieces of data included in a group of the hierarchy at a highest level on a magnetic recording medium in a recording order according to an order from an upper hierarchy to a lower hierarchy, for each group of the hierarchy at the highest level. The magnetic recording medium has a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on a non-magnetic support. A difference between spacings S.sub.0.5 and S.sub.13.5 measured under pressures of 0.5 atm and 13.5 atm by an optical interference method after n-hexane cleaning on a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or less than 3.0 nm.