A magnetic recording medium includes a flexible and elongated substrate, a soft magnetic layer having an average thickness of 10 nm or more to 50 nm or less, and a recording layer. The soft magnetic layer is disposed between the substrate and the recording layer, and a difference in Young's modulus between the magnetic recording medium and the substrate in a longitudinal direction of the substrate is 2.4 GPa or more.

The present invention is to provide an assisted magnetic recording medium including a substrate; an underlayer disposed on the substrate; a magnetic layer disposed on the underlayer and including an alloy having an L1.sub.0-type crystal structure; and a pinning layer disposed in contact with the magnetic layer, wherein the pinning layer includes a granular structure, the granular structure containing magnetic particles and grain boundaries, wherein the magnetic particles contain Co, and wherein the grain boundaries contain Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and/or an oxide of lanthanoid.

A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, an underlayer formed on the substrate, and a magnetic layer formed on the underlayer. The magnetic layer includes an alloy having a L1.sub.0 structure. The underlayer includes a first underlayer and a second underlayer. The first underlayer includes Mo and Ru, the content of Ru in the first underlayer is in a range of 5 atom % to 30 atom %, and the second underlayer includes a material having a body-centered cubic (BCC) structure. The second underlayer is formed between the first underlayer and the substrate.

A magnetic recording medium includes: a flexible and elongated substrate; a soft magnetic layer having an average thickness of 10 nm or more to 50 nm or less; and a recording layer, in which the soft magnetic layer is disposed between the substrate and the recording layer, and a difference in Young's modulus between the magnetic recording medium and the substrate in a longitudinal direction of the substrate is 2.4 GPa or more.

A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, an underlayer formed on the substrate, and a magnetic layer formed on the underlayer. The magnetic layer includes an alloy having a L1.sub.0 structure. The underlayer includes a first underlayer and a second underlayer. The first underlayer includes Mo and Ru, the content of Ru in the first underlayer is in a range of 5 atom % to 30 atom %, and the second underlayer includes a material having a body-centered cubic (BCC) structure. The second underlayer is formed between the first underlayer and the substrate.