Magnetic recording disk and disk drive with alternating single-polarity position error signal (pes) blocks for read/write head positioning

A perpendicular magnetic recording disk comprising:

• a magnetic recording layer of continuous magnetic recording media magnetizable generally perpendicular to the plane of the layer for the recording of data in a plurality of generally concentric circular data tracks;
• and
• a plurality of nondata servo sectors extending generally radially across a plurality of the data tracks, the servo sectors including a synchronization pattern of circumferentially adjacent regions of alternate magnetization polarity and a position error signal (PES) pattern, the PES pattern comprising:
• a first field of PES blocks extending generally radially across the tracks, each PES block in the first field having a perpendicular magnetization in one and only one direction and opposite to the perpendicular magnetization of radially adjacent PES blocks in the first field;
• and
• a second field of PES blocks extending generally radially across the tracks, the second field being circumferentially adjacent to, generally contiguous with, and shifted radially relative to the first field, each PES block in the second field having a perpendicular magnetization in one and only one direction and opposite to the perpendicular magnetization of radially adjacent PES blocks in the second field;
• wherein the circumferential length of the PES blocks is at least 3 times the circumferential length of the synchronization regions.