Recording physics and organization of data on a disk

Abstract

© 2004 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. The basic elements of a magnetic recording system are read/write head, which is an electromagnet with a carefully shaped ferrous core, and a rotating disk with a ferromagnetic surface. Since the core of the electromagnet is ferrous, the magnetic flux preferentially travels through the core. The core is deliberately broken at an air gap. In the air gap, the flux creates a fringing field that extends some distance from the core.