The suggestion that moving particles exhibit wave properties is attributed to Louis de Broglie, a French physicist. In 1924, de Broglie proposed his famous hypothesis known as the de Broglie hypothesis or de Broglie wave-particle duality. He postulated that particles, such as electrons, have wave-like characteristics associated with them.
De Broglie's hypothesis was influenced by the earlier work of Albert Einstein, who proposed that electromagnetic radiation could exhibit particle-like behavior (photons). De Broglie extended this idea to matter particles, suggesting that just as light waves can behave as particles (photons), particles like electrons can exhibit wave-like behavior.
The key concept in de Broglie's hypothesis is that every particle with momentum has a corresponding wavelength associated with it. The wavelength of a particle is inversely proportional to its momentum, which is related to its mass and velocity. This wavelength is now known as the de Broglie wavelength and is given by the equation λ = h / p, where λ represents the wavelength, h is Planck's constant, and p is the momentum of the particle.
De Broglie's wave-particle duality hypothesis was later confirmed through experimental observations, such as the diffraction and interference patterns exhibited by electrons and other particles. This groundbreaking idea laid the foundation for the development of quantum mechanics, providing a unified framework to describe the behavior of both particles and waves.