Imaging effects in contact recording on particulate media

Contact recording on longitudinal particulate media is modeled self-consistently, including the proper image for the finite gapped head. For moderate ratios of deep gap field to remanent coercivity, the major effect of the proper image occurs in readback, where the reciprocity integral must be performed self-consistently, convolving the head field with the magnetization at each head position. In contact recording the use of proper imaging has a significant effect which predominates in readback and is due to the reversible permeability of the medium. Utilization of proper imaging largely removes the vertical contribution from the readback pulse. However, for higher deep gap fields, the first readback causes irreversible erasure of the high-frequency components of the transition.