Side erasure control for track writing in a system

A system, comprising:

• a tape head having at least one writer transducer;
• a controller configured to control the tape head, the controller having at least one processor;
• and
• a computer program product which comprises a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause operations, the operations comprising:
• using a writer transducer of the tape head, writing a first linear track of data on the magnetic tape moving in a first linear direction;
• and
• using a writer transducer of the tape head, writing a second linear track of data adjacent to the first linear track on the magnetic tape moving in the first linear direction of tape motion and forming a first erase band as the second linear track of data is being written;
• wherein the tape head is rotated at a non-zero angle relative to the first linear direction of tape motion as the second linear track of data is being written, and wherein a trailing edge of the writer transducer of the tape head writing the second linear track of data forms an acute angle with respect to a longitudinal edge of the second linear track as the second linear track is being written.

A method for operating a system for magnetic tape and having a tape head having at least one writer transducer, comprising:

• using a writer transducer of the tape head, writing a first linear track of data on the magnetic tape moving in a first linear direction;
• and
• using a writer transducer of the tape head, writing a second linear track of data adjacent to the first linear track on the magnetic tape moving in the first linear direction of tape motion and forming a first erase band as the second linear track of data is being written;
• wherein the tape head is rotated at a non-zero angle relative to the first linear direction of tape motion as the second linear track of data is being written, and wherein a trailing edge of the writer transducer of the tape head writing the second linear track of data forms an acute angle with respect to a longitudinal edge of the second linear track as the second linear track is being written.