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 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 absolute value ΔN of a difference between a refractive index Nxy of the magnetic layer, measured in an in-plane direction and a refractive index Nz of the magnetic layer, measured in a thickness direction is 0.25 or more and 0.40 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.

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 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 absolute value ΔN of a difference between a refractive index Nxy of the magnetic layer, measured in an in-plane direction and a refractive index Nz of the magnetic layer, measured in a thickness direction is 0.25 or more and 0.40 or less.

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 magnetic recording medium according to the present technology includes: a base material; and a magnetic layer, in which the magnetic recording medium has a tape shape that is long in a longitudinal direction and short in a width direction, the magnetic layer includes a data band and a servo band, a data signal being written to the data band, the data band being long in the longitudinal direction, a servo signal being written to the servo data, the servo band being long in the longitudinal direction, the degree of perpendicular orientation of the magnetic layer being 65% or more, a full width at half maximum of an isolated waveform in a reproduced waveform of the servo signal is 195 nm or less, the magnetic layer has a thickness of 90 nm or less, and the base material has a thickness of 4.2 μm or less.

A magnetic recording medium is provided and includes a substrate; and a magnetic layer provided over the substrate, wherein (wmax−wmin)/wmin≤400 [ppm] . . . (1) where wmax and wmin are respectively maximum and minimum of average values of width corresponding to samples of magnetic recording medium measured after the samples are stored for two hours under storage conditions (a loading tension in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic recording medium, a temperature and a relative humidity) for each of the samples, and a width of a sample of the magnetic recording medium at 25° C. and 50% relative humidity and without loading is ½ inch, magnetic recording medium has Young's modulus of less than 8.0 GPa in a longitudinal direction, and 4.0≤TB/(TA−TB) . . . (2) where TA is average thickness of magnetic recording medium and TB is average thickness of substrate.

In a magnetic recording medium, an average thickness t.sub.T is t.sub.T≤5.5 μm, a dimensional variation Δw in a width direction to tension change in a longitudinal direction is 650 ppm/N≤Δw, and a rate of shrinkage in the longitudinal direction is 0.08% or less.

A magnetic recording medium in a shape of a tape that is long in a longitudinal direction and is short in a width direction is provided, the medium including: a base material; and a magnetic layer, in which the magnetic layer includes a data band long in the longitudinal direction in which a data signal is to be written, and a servo band long in the longitudinal direction in which a servo signal is written, and in the magnetic layer, a degree of vertical orientation is greater than or equal to 65%, a half width of a solitary waveform in a reproduction waveform of the servo signal is less than or equal to 195 nm, a thickness of the magnetic layer is less than or equal to 90 nm, and a thickness of the base material is less than or equal to 4.2 μm.

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 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 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 absolute value ΔN of a difference between a refractive index Nxy of the magnetic layer, measured in an in-plane direction and a refractive index Nz of the magnetic layer, measured in a thickness direction is 0.25 or more and 0.40 or less.