In the magnetic recording and reproducing device, a distal end width of the first magnetic pole in the recording element is substantially the same as a distal end width of the second magnetic pole; the reproducing element width of the reproducing element is equal to or less than 0.8 μm; and in the magnetic recording medium, a number distribution A of equivalent circle diameters of a plurality of bright areas in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer with a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 5 kV, and a number distribution B of equivalent circle diameters of a plurality of dark areas in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging the surface of the magnetic layer with a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 2 kV satisfy predetermined number distribution, respectively.

A magnetic recording medium used on a record/playback device with a minimum recording wavelength or 50 nm or shorter, the magnetic recording medium including a magnetic layer that contains a spinel-type ferrite magnetic powder, the magnetic layer having an average thickness of 85 nm or smaller, and the magnetic layer having a saturation flux density of 1600 Gauss or larger and 2000 Gauss or smaller.

A magnetic recording medium used on a record/playback device with a minimum recording wavelength or 50 nm or shorter, the magnetic recording medium including a magnetic layer that contains a spinel-type ferrite magnetic powder, the magnetic layer having an average thickness of 85 nm or smaller, and the magnetic layer having a saturation flux density of 1600 Gauss or larger and 2000 Gauss or smaller.

Provided is a sputtering target containing 0.05 at % or more of Bi, and having a total content of metal oxides of from 10 vol % to 70 vol %, the balance containing at least Ru.

A magnetic recording medium is a magnetic recording medium having a tape-like shape and includes a base substrate and a magnetic layer provided on the base substrate. A plurality of data tracks can be formed in the magnetic layer, a width of a data track is 2900 nm or less, and in a case of defining, as w.sub.max and w.sub.min, a maximum value and a minimum value respectively out of average values of a width of the magnetic recording medium measured under four kinds of environment in which temperature and relative humidity are set to (10° C., 10%), (10° C., 80%), (29° C., 80%), and (45° C., 10%), w.sub.max and w.sub.min satisfy a relation of (w.sub.max−w.sub.min)/w.sub.min≤400 [ppm].

A magnetic recording medium is a magnetic recording medium having a tape-like shape and includes a base substrate and a magnetic layer provided on the base substrate. A plurality of data tracks can be formed in the magnetic layer, a width of a data track is 2900 nm or less, and in a case of defining, as w.sub.max and w.sub.min, a maximum value and a minimum value respectively out of average values of a width of the magnetic recording medium measured under four kinds of environment in which temperature and relative humidity are set to (10° C., 10%), (10° C., 80%), (29° C., 80%), and (45° C., 10%), w.sub.max and w.sub.min satisfy a relation of (w.sub.max−w.sub.min)/w.sub.min≤400 [ppm].

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.

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.

The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer including a ferromagnetic powder. A fluorine-containing compound is included in a portion on the non-magnetic support on a magnetic layer side, and a ratio θr of a water contact angle measured on a surface of the magnetic layer after sliding on a magnetic head to a water contact angle measured on the surface of the magnetic layer before sliding on the magnetic head is 0.70 or more.

The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder, in which an edge portion Ra which is an arithmetic average roughness Ra measured at an edge portion of a surface of the magnetic layer is 1.50 nm or less, a central portion Ra which is an arithmetic average roughness Ra measured at a central portion of the surface of the magnetic layer is 0.30 nm to 1.30 nm, and a Ra ratio (central portion Ra/edge portion Ra) is 0.75 to 0.95.