The present invention provides a perpendicular magnetic recording medium
that reduces medium noise and achieves thermal stability of recording
magnetization. This perpendicular magnetic recording medium has a
substrate and a recording layer formed by single-layered magnetic
nanoparticles that are aligned at uniform intervals. An auxiliary
magnetic film that is thinner than the recording layer is interposed
between the substrate and the recording layer. The magnetization of the
magnetic nanoparticles is secured by the exchange interaction effect of
the auxiliary magnetic film.