Final answer:
Wave-particle duality is the theory that describes light as having both wave-like and particle-like properties, integrating the work of scientists like Isaac Newton, Christiaan Huygens, Thomas Young, and James Clerk Maxwell.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scientific concept developed by researchers that encompasses the characteristics and behavior of light, grounded in collaborative efforts of multiple scientists, is the theory of wave-particle duality. This theory describes how light exhibits both wave-like and particle-like properties. Historically, the debate began with Isaac Newton favoring a particle theory while Christiaan Huygens supported the wave model. Thomas Young's double-slit experiment further cemented the wave nature of light, and James Clerk Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism described light as an electromagnetic wave. However, phenomena such as blackbody radiation and the photoelectric effect could not be explained by just the wave theory, leading to the concept that light could also behave as particles known as photons. Modern physics embraces this duality as a fundamental aspect of light.