Sawtooth magnetisation transitions and the digital recording properties of thin film recording media

The authors discuss the nature of sawtooth magnetisation transitions, the process of recording which produces them, and their relationship to the magnetic hysteresis properties of the thin films in which they exist. They also consider the distributions of transition widths and these properties are related to the magnetic hysteresis properties of the media, and the origin of these hysteresis properties. It is shown that the recording properties of thin film media are substantially determined by the ratio M_rD/H_c (remanent magnetisation×thickness/coercivity) in a way which is largely consistent with current understanding built upon considerations which ignore the superstructure within the transitions. A discussion is given of the theoretical predictions in the light of published experimental observations