Well, yes, they do, but we now prefer to call them by their less aggression-centered name, "particle harmony disrupters." Of course some atom smashers do much more smashing than others. We use electrons in our accelerator to study the nucleus of an atom. Remember that electrons are negative, as are the electrons surrounding the target. Since like charged particles repel each other, our particles have to have enough energy to blast through that electron cloud to get to the nucleus. The electrons then speed on toward the nucleus and usually miss. Yes, most of our electrons miss the nucleus. Remember, atoms are very small and nuclei are REALLY small. Enough electrons do hit the nucleus to make the studies useful, though. Usually the electron is deflected back out of the nucleus where we note its path with the particle detectors we've built. Occasionally the electron goes in and knocks out a proton or neutron. So you see, we do smash atoms.