Hexagonal ferrite powder has an average particle size falling within a range of 10 nm to 50 nm, a switching field distribution SFD.sub.23° C. measured at a temperature of 23° C. that is less than or equal to 0.80, and a ratio of a switching field distribution SFD.sub.−190° C. that is measured at a temperature of −190° C. to the SFD.sub.23° C. (SFD.sub.−190° C./SFD.sub.23° C.) that is greater than 0.80.

Provided are hexagonal ferrite magnetic powder for magnetic recording, being comprised of hexagonal ferrite magnetic particles having a crystalline metal oxide adhered to a surface thereof, a method for producing hexagonal ferrite magnetic particles having a crystalline metal oxide adhered to a surface thereof, and a magnetic recording medium.

Provided is hexagonal strontium ferrite powder for magnetic recording, in which an activation volume is 800 to 1,500 nm.sup.3, a content of rare earth atom with respect to 100 atom % of iron atom is 0.5 to 5.0 atom %, and a rare earth atom surface portion uneven distribution is provided.

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 magnetic powder capable of enhancing simultaneously both magnetic characteristics including SNP and durability of a magnetic recording medium. The hexagonal ferrite magnetic powder for a magnetic recording medium has a Ba/Fe molar ratio of 8.0% or more, a Bi/Fe molar ratio of 2.5% or more and an Al/Fe molar ratio of from 3.0 to 6.0%. The magnetic powder preferably has an activation volume Vact of from 1,400 to 1,800 nm.sup.3. The magnetic powder particularly preferably has a coercive force Hc of from 159 to 279 kA/m (which is approximately from 2,000 to 3,500 Oe) and a coercivity distribution SFD of from 0.3 to 1.0. The magnetic powder may contain, as an element that substitutes an Fe site of the hexagonal ferrite, at least one kind selected from divalent transition metals M1 and tetravalent transition metals M2.

An aspect of the present invention relates to hexagonal ferrite powder, which comprises equal to or more than 70% on a particle number basis of isotropic hexagonal ferrite particles satisfying equation (1):
major axis length/minor axis length<2.0  (1),
having an average particle size of equal to or greater than 10.0 nm but equal to or less than 35.0 nm, and having a saturation magnetization of equal to or greater than 30 A.Math.m.sup.2/kg.

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.

[Object] A cobalt ferrite magnetic powder includes magnetic particles that have a uniaxial crystal magnetic anisotropy and contain cobalt ferrite. A peak top 2θ of a (3, 1, 1) plane determined by powder X-ray diffractometry using a CoKα ray is 41.3° or more and 41.5° or less. Some Cos contained in the magnetic particles are substituted with at least one selected from the group consisting of Zn, Ge, and a transition metal element other than Fe.

A magnetic recording medium is a magnetic recording medium in the form of a tape and includes a substrate, a foundation layer provided on the substrate, and a magnetic layer provided on the foundation layer and containing a magnetic powder. The foundation layer and the magnetic layer each contain a lubricant. A squareness ratio of the magnetic layer in a perpendicular direction is equal to or higher than 65%, an average thickness of the magnetic recording medium is equal to or smaller than 5.6 μm, a plurality of recessed portions each having a depth corresponding to 20% or higher of the average thickness of the magnetic layer is provided on a surface of the magnetic layer, and the number of the recessed portions per unit area of 1,600 μm.sup.2 of the surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or greater than 20 and equal to or smaller than 200, and an amount of exudation of the lubricant per unit region of 12.5 μm×9.3 μm on the surface of the magnetic layer in a vacuum is equal to or greater than 3.0 μm.sup.2 and equal to or smaller than 6.5 μm.sup.2.

It is an object of the present technology to provide a magnetic recording medium having a small total thickness, which can be reproduced satisfactorily after long-term storage.

The present technology provides a tape-shaped magnetic recording medium including a magnetic layer, an underlayer, a base layer, and a back layer. The magnetic recording medium has an average thickness t.sub.T of 5.4 μm or less, when a thermomechanical analysis is performed on the magnetic recording medium in a temperature range of 40° C. to 150° C. at a temperature rise rate of 1° C./minute, a switching temperature for switching from thermal expansion to thermal contraction is 70° C. or more, and a contraction start temperature is 90° C. or more at which a length in a longitudinal direction is shorter than the length at 40° C., and a Poisson's ratio is 0.40 or less.