  It was first suggested by David Z. Albert that the existence of a real,
physical non-unitary process (i.e., "collapse") at the quantum level would
yield a complete explanation for the Second Law of Thermodynamics (i.e., the
increase in entropy over time). The contribution of such a process would be to
provide a physical basis for the ontological indeterminacy needed to derive the
irreversible Second Law against a backdrop of otherwise reversible,
deterministic physical laws. An alternative understanding of the source of this
possible quantum "collapse" or non-unitarity is presented herein, in terms of
the Transactional Interpretation (TI). The present model provides a specific
physical justification for Boltzmann's often-criticized assumption of molecular
randomness (Stosszahlansatz), thereby changing its status from an ad hoc
postulate to a theoretically grounded result, without requiring any change to
the basic quantum theory. In addition, it is argued that TI provides an elegant
way of reconciling, via indeterministic collapse, the time-reversible Liouville
evolution with the time-irreversible evolution inherent in so-called "master
equations" that specify the changes in occupation of the various possible
states in terms of the transition rates between them. The present model is
contrasted with the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (GRW) "spontaneous collapse" theory
previously suggested for this purpose by Albert.
