The world's largest atom smasher has set a record for high-energy collisions by crashing two proton beams at three times more force than ever before. The $10 billion Large Hadron Collider directed the beams into each other Tuesday as part of its ambitious bid to reveal details about theoretical particles and microforces. The collisions start a new era of science for researchers working on the machine below the Swiss-French border at Geneva. Scientists at a control room at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, broke into applause when the first successful collisions were recorded. Their colleagues from around the world were tuning in by remote links. 