Vector solitons (VSs), being observed across various fields from optics to Bose-Einstein condensates, are localized structures composed of orthogonal modes bound by nonlinear couplings. Nevertheless, the influence of intermodal linear coupling on the physical properties of this bimodal structure remains to be decently revealed and harnessed. Utilizing an ultrafast fiber laser as a platform, we predict and demonstrate that the linear mode coupling (LMC) induces the deformable VS in terms of the temporal and spectral structures. Weak LMC supports heteronuclear vector solitons built of dissimilar polarization modes, i.e., a single pulse coupled to an orthogonal damped pulse chain. On the other hand, strong LMC facilitates the homonuclear VS composed of polarization modes with similar structures, in the form of soliton compounds featuring “caterpillar” motions. Our findings reveal new patterns of VSs and open an effective avenue for versatile ultrafast optical sources.

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• Laser dynamics
• Optical solitons
• Fiber lasers