Magnetically induced super resolution (MSR) is used to read “below-diffraction-limit” recording marks on magneto-optical (MO) media. A nanosecond-order laser pulse irradiated onto MO media can create a quasi-circular temperature profile, thereby yielding a quasi-circular sub-µ m aperture to effectively derive a readout signal from sub-µ m marks recorded on the disks. In this study, the pulsed irradiation and conventional DC readout methods are applied to a MO disk with a center aperture detection (CAD) structure to quantitatively evaluate their readout performance. The size and shape of the effective aperture, jitters due to readout parameters, and aperture wall width generated are studied. The feasibility of the pulsed irradiation readout is then assessed.