Super-Horizon Scale Dynamics of Multi-Scalar Inflation

We consider the dynamics of a multi-component scalar field on super-horizon scales in the context of inflationary cosmology. We present a method to solve the perturbation equations on super-horizon scales, i.e., in the long wavelength limit, by using only the knowledge of spatially homogeneous background solutions. In so doing, we clarify the relation between the perturbation equations in the long wavelength limit and the background equations. Then, as a natural extension of our formalism, we provide a strategy to study super-horizon scale perturbations beyond the standard linear perturbation theory. Namely, we reformulate our method so as to take into account the nonlinear dynamics of the scalar field.