In the 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.

Provided is a magnetic tape cartridge of a single reel type in which a magnetic tape is wound around a reel, in which the magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder, and has a tape thickness of 5.3 μm or less, the magnetic layer includes a plurality of servo bands, and a difference (G.sub.inner−G.sub.outer) between a servo band interval G.sub.inner in a range of 49 m to 51 m from a tape inner end and a servo band interval G.sub.outer in a range of 49 m to 51 m from a tape outer end is −3.9 μm to −1.1 μm as a value measured on 100th day from a date of magnetic tape cartridge manufacture.

The magnetic tape has a magnetic layer containing ferromagnetic powder and binder on one surface of a nonmagnetic support and has a backcoat layer containing nonmagnetic powder and binder on the other surface thereof, wherein the thickness of the backcoat layer is less than or equal to 0.20 μm, and the contact angle for 1-bromonaphthalene that is measured on the surface of the backcoat layer falls within a range of 10.0° to 30.0°.

The magnetic tape has a magnetic layer containing ferromagnetic powder and binder on one surface of a nonmagnetic support and has a backcoat layer containing nonmagnetic powder and binder on the other surface thereof, wherein the thickness of the backcoat layer is less than or equal to 0.20 μm, the contact angle for 1-bromonaphthalene that is measured on the surface of the backcoat layer falls within a range of 10.0° to 30.0°, and the contact angle for 1-bromonaphthalene that is measured on the surface of the magnetic layer falls within a range of 45.0° to 55.0°.

In the 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 including ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent, 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 (L.sub.99.9−L.sub.0.1) 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 an isoelectric point of a surface zeta potential of the magnetic layer is 3.8 or less.

The magnetic tape has a magnetic layer and a backcoat layer, wherein, each of the magnetic layer and backcoat layer contains a fatty acid ester, the Ra measured on the magnetic layer side surface is less than or equal to 2.8 nm, the difference between the spacing measured by optical interferometry on the magnetic layer side surface after and before vacuum heating is greater than 0 nm but less than or equal to 8.0 nm, the FWHM.sub.before on the backcoat layer side surface is greater than 0 nm but less than or equal to 10.0 nm, the FWHM.sub.after on the backcoat layer side surface is greater than 0 nm but less than or equal to 10.0 nm; and the difference between the spacing measured on the backcoat layer side surface after and before vacuum heating is greater than 0 nm but less than or equal to 8.0 nm.

A magnetic recording medium of the present invention is a magnetic recording medium including a non-magnetic substrate; a non-magnetic layer that is formed on one of principal surfaces of the non-magnetic substrate and contains a non-magnetic powder, a binder, and a lubricant; and a magnetic layer that is formed on a principal surface of the non-magnetic layer opposite to the non-magnetic substrate and contains a magnetic powder and a binder. The magnetic powder has an average particle size between 10 nm and 35 nm inclusive. The lubricant is migratable to the magnetic layer and forms a lubricant layer on a surface of the magnetic layer when a pressure is applied to the magnetic layer. When spacing of the surface of the magnetic layer before and after washing the lubricant with n-hexane is measured with a TSA (Tape Spacing Analyzer), the value of the spacing after washing is 3 to 10 nm, and the value of the spacing before washing is 1 to 5 nm smaller than the value of the spacing after washing.

The magnetic recording and reproducing device includes a magnetic recording medium, a recording element, and a reproducing element. The recording element is an inductive recording element having a first magnetic pole which generates a magnetic field, and a second magnetic pole which is spaced apart from the first magnetic pole with a write gap interposed therebetween, a tip width of the first magnetic pole is substantially the same as a tip width of the second magnetic pole, and a reproducing element width of the reproducing element is 0.5 μm to 0.8 μm. The magnetic recording medium has a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder, and the number of recesses, which are present in a surface of the magnetic layer and have an equivalent circle diameter of 0.20 μm to 0.50 μm, is 10 to 500 per area of 40 μm×40 μm.

The magnetic recording and reproducing device includes a magnetic recording medium, a recording element, and a reproducing element. The recording element is an inductive recording element having a first magnetic pole which generates a magnetic field, and a second magnetic pole which is spaced apart from the first magnetic pole with a write gap interposed therebetween, a tip width of the first magnetic pole is substantially the same as a tip width of the second magnetic pole, and a reproducing element width of the reproducing element is 0.2 μm or greater and less than 0.5 μm. In the magnetic recording medium, the number of recesses, which are present in a surface of the magnetic layer and have an equivalent circle diameter of 0.10 μm or greater and less than 0.20 μm, is 100 to 2,000 per area of 40 μm×40 μm.