Patent ID: 7880997

Claim:
A magnetic recording apparatus comprising: a magnetic recording medium in which a recording layer is formed in a concavo-convex pattern so that recording elements for recording magnetic data are formed of convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern and a plurality of the recording elements is arranged in each of tracks in a row in a circumferential direction; a heating head for heating the recording element; and a recording head for applying a recording magnetic field to the recording element, wherein the following equation (I) B L ≦E RL ≦B L +2 ×G L (Equation (I)) is satisfied in each of the tracks, where B L represents a length of the recording element in the circumferential direction, G L represents a length of a gap between the recording elements in the circumferential direction, and E RL represents an effective recording length which is a length of an effective recording area in the circumferential direction, the effective recording area being created on the magnetic recording medium by the heating head and the recording head.