Magnetic recording medium, magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, magnetic recording method and magnetic reproducing method

A magnetic recording medium comprising a structure in which at least a soft magnetic underlayer, a non-magnetic intermediate layer, and a magnetic recording layer are sequentially laminated on a non-magnetic substrate,

• wherein the magnetic recording layer includes a first magnetic layer, a non-magnetic layer, and a second magnetic layer in order from the non-magnetic substrate side, has a structure in which the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer are magnetically separated from each other with the non-magnetic layer interposed therebetween, and consists of a plurality of patterns which are magnetically separated from each other,
• a coercive force Hc of the second magnetic layer is larger than that of the first magnetic layer, and the coercive force Hc of the second magnetic layer is smaller than that of the first magnetic layer temporarily when the second magnetic layer is heated,
• a product Mrt of a layer thickness and remanence per unit area of the second magnetic layer is smaller than that of the first magnetic layer.