Infrared/optical - X-ray simultaneous observations of X-ray flares in
  GRB 071112C and GRB 080506
  We investigate the origin of short X-ray flares which are occasionally
observed in early stages of afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We observed
two events, GRB 071112C and GRB 080506, before the start of X-ray flares in the
optical and near-infrared (NIR) bands with the 1.5-m Kanata telescope. In
conjunction with published X-ray and optical data, we analyzed densely sampled
light curves of the early afterglows and spectral energy distributions (SEDs)
in the NIR-X-ray ranges. We found that the SEDs had a break between the optical
and X-ray bands in the normal decay phases of both GRBs regardless of the model
for the correction of the interstellar extinction in host galaxies of GRBs. In
the X-ray flares, X-ray flux increased by 3 and 15 times in the case of GRB
071112C and 080506, respectively, and the X-ray spectra became harder than
those in the normal decay phases. No significant variation in the optical-NIR
range was detected together with the X-ray flares. These results suggest that
the X-ray flares were associated with either late internal shocks or external
shocks from two-component jets.
