The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, in which the magnetic layer includes one or more components selected from the group consisting of fatty acid and fatty acid amide, a C—H derived C concentration calculated from a C—H peak area ratio of C1s spectra obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis performed on a surface of the magnetic layer at a photoelectron take-off angle of 10 degrees is equal to or greater than 45 atom %, and an absolute value ΔN of a difference between a refractive index Nxy measured regarding an in-plane direction of the magnetic layer and a refractive index Nz measured regarding a thickness direction of the magnetic layer is 0.25 to 0.40.

The magnetic recording medium has a magnetic layer containing multiple nonmagnetic particles having a ratio, major axis length/minor axis length, of less than or equal to 1.5, the multiple nonmagnetic particles are present in the magnetic layer in a state where, when the depth to which each of the multiple nonmagnetic particles is embedded in the magnetic layer in observation of a sectional image picked up by SEM is denoted as b and the thickness of the magnetic layer as t, the average value of the ratio of b/t is less than or equal to 0.9, and the number of protrusions 5 nm or greater in height is 800 or greater and the number of protrusions 20 nm or greater in height is 20 or less as measured by AFM per an area 40 μm×40 μm on the magnetic layer side surface of the magnetic recording medium.

The magnetic recording medium has a magnetic layer containing multiple nonmagnetic particles having a ratio, major axis length/minor axis length, of less than or equal to 1.5, the multiple nonmagnetic particles are present in the magnetic layer in a state where, when the depth to which each of the multiple nonmagnetic particles is embedded in the magnetic layer in observation of a sectional image picked up by SEM is denoted as b and the thickness of the magnetic layer as t, the average value of the ratio of b/t is less than or equal to 0.9, and the number of protrusions 5 nm or greater in height is 800 or greater and the number of protrusions 20 nm or greater in height is 20 or less as measured by AFM per an area 40 μm×40 μm on the magnetic layer side surface of the magnetic recording medium.

The magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including a ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, in which a difference (S.sub.0.5−S.sub.13.5) between a spacing S.sub.0.5 measured by optical interferometry regarding a surface of the magnetic layer under a pressing force of 0.5 atm after n-hexane cleaning and a spacing S.sub.13.5 measured by optical interferometry regarding the surface of the magnetic layer under a pressing force of 13.5 atm after n-hexane cleaning is equal to or smaller than 3.0 nm, and a magnetic recording and reproducing device including this magnetic recording medium.

The magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including a ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, in which a difference (S.sub.0.5−S.sub.13.5) between a spacing S.sub.0.5 measured by optical interferometry regarding a surface of the magnetic layer under a pressing force of 0.5 atm after n-hexane cleaning and a spacing S.sub.13.5 measured by optical interferometry regarding the surface of the magnetic layer under a pressing force of 13.5 atm after n-hexane cleaning is equal to or smaller than 3.0 nm, and a magnetic recording and reproducing device including this magnetic recording medium.

The magnetic tape in which a difference (S.sub.0.1−S.sub.1.6) between a spacing S.sub.0.1 and a spacing S.sub.1.6 obtained after n-hexane cleaning on a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or less than 32 nm. The S.sub.0.1 is a value obtained as a spacing under a pressing force of 0.1 atm from a relational expression between a pressure and a spacing obtained by performing a spacing measurement on the surface of the magnetic layer by an optical interference method under a pressing force of each of a plurality of different pressures after the n-hexane cleaning, and S.sub.1.6 is a spacing measured on the surface of the magnetic layer by the optical interference method under the pressing force of 1.6 atm after the n-hexane cleaning.

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 greater than 0.08 μm and 0.14 μm or smaller, 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 recording unit that records a plurality of objects including data and metadata related to the data on a magnetic recording medium, and executes, after recording at least one of the objects, processing of recording first set data which is a set of the metadata included in the object. The first set data is the set of the metadata included in the object recorded after recording the first set data that is recorded immediately before. 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 recording unit that records a plurality of objects including data and metadata related to the data on a magnetic recording medium, and executes, after recording at least one of the objects, processing of recording first set data which is a set of the metadata included in the object. The first set data is the set of the metadata included in the object recorded after recording the first set data that is recorded immediately before. 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.

A magnetic tape in which a C—H derived C concentration calculated from a C—H peak surface area ratio in C1s spectra obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy performed on a surface of the magnetic layer at a photoelectron take-off angle of 10 degrees is 45 atom % to 65 atom %, and in an environment with a temperature of 32° C. and a relative humidity of 80%, a frictional force F45° on the surface of the magnetic layer with respect to an LTO8 head measured at a head tilt angle of 45° is 4 gf to 15 gf, and a standard deviation of a frictional force F on the surface of the magnetic layer with respect to the LTO8 head measured at each of head tilt angles of 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45° is 10 gf or less,