First observation of $Λ_c^+\rightarrowΛK^+π^0$ and evidence of $Λ_c^+\rightarrowΛK^+π^+π^-$
We present the first observation of the singly Cabibbo-suppressed decay $Λ_c^+ \rightarrow ΛK^+π^0$ with a significance of $5.7σ$ and the first evidence of $Λ_c^+ \rightarrow ΛK^+π^+π^-$ decay with a significance of $3.1σ$, based on $e^+e^-$ annihilation data recorded by the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of $6.4~{\rm fb^{-1}}$, in the center-of-mass energy range from $4.600~{\rm GeV}$ to $4.950~{\rm GeV}$. We determine the branching fractions of $Λ_c^+ \rightarrow ΛK^+π^0$ and $Λ_c^+ \rightarrow ΛK^+π^+π^-$ relative to their Cabibbo-favored counterparts to be $\frac{\mathcal{B}(Λ_c^+ \rightarrow ΛK^+π^0)}{\mathcal{B}(Λ_c^+ \rightarrow Λπ^+π^0)} = (2.09\pm0.39_{\mathrm{stat.}}\pm0.07_{\mathrm{syst.}}) \times 10^{-2}$ and $\frac{\mathcal{B}(Λ_c^+ \rightarrow ΛK^+π^+π^-)}{\mathcal{B}(Λ_c^+ \rightarrow Λπ^+π^+π^-)} = (1.13\pm0.41_{\mathrm{stat.}}\pm0.06_{\mathrm{syst.}}) \times 10^{-2}$, respectively. Moreover, by combining our measured result with the world average of $\mathcal{B}(Λ^+_c\to Λπ^+π^0)$, we obtain the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}(Λ_c^+ \to ΛK^+π^0) = (1.49\pm0.27_{\mathrm{stat.}}\pm0.05_{\mathrm{syst.}}\pm0.08_{\mathrm{ref.}}) \times 10^{-3}$. This result significantly departs from theoretical predictions based on quark $SU(3)$ flavor symmetry, which is underpinned by the presumption of meson pair $S$-wave amplitude dominance.