Patent ID: 7672074

Claim:
A thermally assisted magnetic recording method comprising: producing a locally heated region in a recording layer of a magnetic recording medium, the recording layer including a track; and applying a recording magnetic field to the heated region while moving the heated region, to record information; wherein the heated region is elongated in an extending direction of the track; wherein the elongated heated region is produced by forming a plurality of heated spots in the recording layer, the heated spots being aligned in the extending direction of the track in an overlapping manner; wherein peak temperatures at the respective heated spots are adjusted in accordance with a moving speed of the heated region; wherein the plurality of heated spots include a first heated spot taking a front position in the moving direction of the heated region and a second heated spot different from the first heated spot; and wherein a ratio of the peak temperature at the second heated spot to the peak temperature at the first heated spot is lower as the moving speed of the heated region becomes slower.