SAT Question a7a944ed: Transitions answer and explanation

English - Transitions - Concession Transition
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In astrophysics, a ring of debris orbiting a larger object within the object’s Roche limit is expected to persist as a ring, whereas a ring of debris orbiting outside this limit would likely accrete into a satellite (e.g., a moon). Bruno Morgado and colleagues, ______ detected a dense ring of material orbiting the trans-Neptunian object Quaoar at a distance of 2,500 miles, well outside the calculated Roche limit of 1,100 miles, that has remained intact.
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Difficulty:Hard
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?