Ultrafast pulse assisted magnetic recording

A layered magnetic recording medium for use with a magnetic writer capable of generating a magnetic write field and ultrafast energy pulses, the layered magnetic recording medium comprising:

• a hard magnetic recording layer;
• and
• a magnetic capping layer disposed over the hard magnetic recording layer, the magnetic capping layer has a magnetization of about 1.5 to 2.4 Tesla and a damping constant of about 0.2 to 0.9,
• wherein the magnetic capping layer has faster magnetization dynamics than the hard magnetic recording layer such that concurrent application of the magnetic write field and the ultrafast energy pulse is capable of flipping a magnetic state in the magnetic capping layer without flipping a magnetic state in the hard magnetic recording layer.

A layered magnetic recording medium for use with a magnetic writer capable of generating a magnetic write field and ultrafast energy pulses, the layered magnetic recording medium comprising:

• a hard magnetic recording layer comprising a FePt layer having a thickness of about 10 nm, an average grain size of about 6.5 nm, a magnetization of about 0.65 Tesla, and a damping constant of about 0.1;
• and
• a magnetic capping layer disposed over the hard magnetic recording layer, the magnetic capping layer comprising a CoFe layer having a thickness of about 2 nm, an average grain size of about 6.5 nm or less, a magnetization of about 2 Tesla, and a damping constant of about 0.5,
• wherein the magnetic capping layer has faster magnetization dynamics than the hard magnetic recording layer such that concurrent application of the magnetic write field and the ultrafast energy pulse is capable of flipping a magnetic state in the magnetic capping layer without flipping a magnetic state in the hard magnetic recording layer.