Perpendicular magnetic recording medium

A perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprising, over a substrate, a magnetic recording layer for recording a signal, an auxiliary recording layer provided above said magnetic recording layer and having a magnetic interaction with said magnetic recording layer, an underlayer made of Ru or a Ru compound and provided below said magnetic recording layer for controlling a crystal orientation of said magnetic recording layer, a pre-underlayer made of a nonmagnetic crystalline material for controlling a crystal orientation of said underlayer, and a soft magnetic layer provided below said pre-underlayer,

• wherein when a difference between a highest point and a lowest point of unevenness of an interface between said soft magnetic layer and said pre-underlayer is given as an interface roughness (nm) and a distance from said pre-underlayer to said auxiliary recording layer, including said pre-underlayer and said auxiliary recording layer, is given as a crystalline total thickness (nm),
• said interface roughness (nm)≦0.4 (nm)
• and
• said interface roughness (nm)×said crystalline total thickness (nm)≦21 (nm) are satisfied.