Progress on the construction of an open access trapped barium ion quantum information processor

We present progress on the design and assembly of a trapped ion quantum information processor intended as an open access tool for the academic community. The QuantumIon project is building a quantum computation and simulation platform using trapped barium-133 ions that will provide users with an open, intuitive interface to high-performance quantum hardware to advance research in quantum information science experimentation and theory. We provide an overview of the processor design, optical engineering, atomic source development, and quantum control implementation for the platform. Additionally, we present recent advances in atomic source fabrication and progress towards trapping barium-133 ions in a surface trap.