Tostudytheelectromagnetic(EM)backscattercharacteristicsoffreakwavesatmoderateincidenceangles,weestablishanEMbackscatteringmodelforfreakwavesin(1+1)-dimensionaldeepwater.ThenonlinearinteractionbetweenfreakwavesandBraggshortwavesisconsideredtobethebasichydrodynamicspectramodulationmechanisminthemodel.NumericalresultssuggestthattheEMbackscatteringintensitiesoffreakwavesarelessthanthosefromthebackgroundseasurfaceatmoderateincidenceangles.Thenormalisedradarcrosssections(NRCSs)fromfreakwavesarehighlypolarisationdependent,evenatlowincidenceangles,whichisdifferentfromthesituationfornormalseawaves;moreover,theNRCSoffreakwavesismorepolarisationdependentthanthebackgroundseasurface.NRCSdiscrepanciesbetweenfreakwavesandthebackgroundseasurfacewithusinghorizontaltransmittinghorizomtal(HH)polarisationarelargerthanthoseusingverticaltransmittingvertical(VV)polarisation,atmoderateincidentangles.NRCSdiscrepanciesbetweenfreakwavesandbackgroundseasurfacedecreaseswiththeincreaseofincidenceangle,inbothHHandVVpolarisationradars.Asanapplication,inthesynthetic-apertureradar(SAR)imagingoffreakwaves,wesuggestthatfreakwavesshouldhaveextremelylowbackscatterNRCSsforthefreakwavefacetwiththestrongestslope.Comparedwiththebackgroundseasurface,thefreakwavesshouldbedarkerinHHpolarisationechoimagesthaninVVechoimages,inSARimages.FreakwavescanbemoreeasilydetectedfromthebackgroundseasurfaceinHHpolarisationimagesthaninVVpolarisationimages.Thepossibilityofdetectionoffreakwavesatlowincidenceanglesismuchhigherthanathighincidenceangles.
