Homologous sudden disappearances of transequatorial interconnecting loops in the solar corona

We have found a remarkable sequence of homologous disappearances of transequatorial X-ray loops linking active regions. Each disappearance was closely associated with a major flare and coronal mass ejection (CME). In each case the flarings precede the disappearances and the CMEs. Mass estimates for the X-ray loops are similar to CME masses. This, the timing of the disappearances, their morphology, and the homology of the events in the sequence, provide direct evidence for a new class of CME origins in the low corona. We also briefly report observations of features which we infer to be the soft X-ray counterparts of shock waves emanating from the flare region. The inferred shocks appeared to play a vital role in the disappearances. Our results suggest that flare-generated shock waves may destabilize large transequatorial loops, causing them to erupt.