The long-term bit error rate (BER) performance of partial response maximum likelihood (PRML) system using an adaptive equalizer in a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) channel with thermal decay is studied. A thermal decay model based on the experimental data giving the amplitude change of reproducing waveforms with the elapsed time for CoPtCr-SiO2 PMR medium is obtained. The BER performance of PR1ML channel for the 16/17(0,6/6) run-length-limited (RLL) code is evaluated by computer simulation using the model. The relationship between the ratio RJ of the jitter-like media noise power to the total noise power at the reading point and the required SNR to achieve a BER of 10-4 is also obtained and the performance is compared with that of the conventional equalization. The results show that the significant improvement in SNR by utilizing the adaptive equalization is recognized over all RJ compared with the conventional equalization.

Extremely narrow track width of deep submicron range is examined in perpendicular magnetic recording. Head field distribution of a single-pole head analyzed by 3-dimensional computer simulation results in a sharp gradient, but relatively large cross-sectional area is required to maintain head field strength. Based on this design concept, a lateral single-pole head is described and proved to attain track width of 0.4 µm. In addition, multilevel partial response appropriate to the new multitrack recording system is proposed.

Recording mechanism of perpendicular recording was examined using analytical expression of shielded AMR/GMR head response. Pulse shape, roll-off performance, and noise spectra were reasonably explained by the calculated head transfer functions. Comparison with the calculation based on the formulae showed several fundamental characteristics of perpendicular recording: no large media noise at low frequencies in magnetic sense, but simply due to a reflection of a head transfer function: no severe resolution degradation: negligible noise power directly arisen from soft magnetic underlayer. This method will provide a convenient design tool for perpendicular magnetic recording.

Risk-aware Data Replication (RDR), which replicates data at primary sites to nearby safe backup sites, has been proposed to mitigate service disruption in a disaster area even after a widespread disaster that damages a network and a primary site. RDR assigns a safe backup site to a primary site while considering damage risk for both the primary site and the backup candidate site. To minimize the damage risk of all site-pairs the Integer Programing Problem (IPP), which is a mathematical optimization problem, is applied. A challenge for RDR is to choose safe backup sites within a short computation time even for a huge number of sites. As described in this paper, we propose a Discreet method for RDR to surmount this hurdle. The Discreet method first judges the backup sites of a potentially unsafe primary site and avoids assigning a very safe primary site with a very safe backup site. We evaluated the computation time for site-paring and the data availability in the cases of Earthquake and Tsunami using basic disaster simulations. We confirmed that the computation rate of the proposed method is more than 1000 times faster than the existing method when the number of sites is greater than 1000. We also confirmed the data availability of the proposed method; it provides almost equal rates to existing methods of strict optimization. These results mean that the proposed method makes RDR more practical for massively multiple sites.

The previously-proposed model of the writing process in TDMR is modified based on the Stoner-Wohlfarth reversal mechanism. The BER performance for a neuro-ITI canceller is obtained via computer simulation using the R/W channel model based on the writing process, and it is compared to those for well-known TDMR equalization techniques.

Bit-patterned medium (BPM) is one of the promising approaches for ultra-high density magnetic recording systems. However, BPM requires precise write synchronization, and exhibits write-errors due to insufficient write field gradient, medium switching field distribution (SFD), demagnetization field from adjacent islands, and island position variation. In this paper, an iterative decoding system using a non-binary low-density parity-check (LDPC) code is considered for a BPM R/W channel with write-errors at an areal recording density of 2Tbit/inch2 including the coding rate loss. The performance of the iterative decoding system using the non-binary LDPC code over the Galois field GF(28) is evaluated by computer simulation, and it is compared with the conventional iterative decoding system using a binary LDPC code. The results show that the non-binary LDPC system has a larger write margin than the binary LDPC system.

Nonlinear phenomena in perpendicular magnetic recording employing a single-pole head and a double-layered medium were investigated. First, measurement of linear superposition in the time domain indicated than the amount of nonlinear transition shift (NLTS) was less than 10 nm. It was concluded that the nonlinearity was caused by transition shift, not by waveform distortion. By interpreting the results, we proved that the NLTS was strongly related with head field gradient and interference field from recorded magnetization. Dependence on head parameter was examined by experiments. Based on the results, a single-pole head with which transition shift can be reduced was proposed. Pseudo-random sequence analysis revealed that NLTS was several percent even at 318 kFRPI, or at a bit interval of 80 nm, which agreed with the result of measurement of linear superposition in the time domain analysis. Experiments showed that NLTS increases the shortest bit length, in contrast with the case of longitudinal recording.