Analysis of and detector comparisons using the microtrack model of magnetic recording

We rely on accurate and relatively simple models of the magnetic recording process so that signal processing algorithms that operate with different system parameters can be compared fairly. The microtrack model of thin-film recording, posed by researchers to mimic the random, zig-zag transition boundaries, satisfies our requirements for an accurate and simple model. This paper summarizes analysis of the microtrack model done by Caroselli and Wolf (1995, 96) and presents additional results including simulations of detectors. Parallels are drawn between the microtrack model and other models including a stationary additive noise model, a model of partial erasure, and a model of transition jitter, amplitude reduction, and pulse width jitter. The parameters used by the microtrack model can be derived from physical media; we derive parameters for these other models from those of the microtrack model.