MAGNETIC RECORDING MEDIUM, MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF AND MAGNETIC RECORDING, AND REPRODUCING DEVICE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnetic recording medium capable of recording and reproducing high density information by reducing switching field distribution of each magnetic dot in a patterned medium.SOLUTION: A magnetic recording medium includes: a substrate; an auxiliary layer formed on the substrate; and at least one perpendicular magnetic recording layer formed on the auxiliary layer. The perpendicular magnetic recording layer has a magnetic dot pattern. The perpendicular magnetic recording layer is made of alloy material that contains one element selected from iron and cobalt and one element selected from platinum and palladium. Further, the alloy material has an L1structure and is (001)-oriented. The auxiliary layer has a first region covered with the magnetic dot pattern and a second region not covered with the magnetic dot pattern. The first region is made of a (100)- oriented nickel oxide. The second region contains nickel metal used in the first region as a main component.