On Mortini's question concerning the level sets on \(M(H^\infty)\) of a certain harmonic function (Q387905)

Let \(\mathbb D\) denote the unit disc in \(\mathbb C\) and let \(\mathcal M(H^\infty)\) denote the maximal ideal space of \(H^\infty\). Let \(\partial\mathbb D^+ =\{z\in\partial \mathbb D: \text{ Im\,}z>0\}\) and \(\partial\mathbb D^{- } =\{z\in\partial \mathbb D: \text{ Im\,}z<0\}\), and let \(E\) denote the closure of the open unit interval \(I_0 = (-1,1)\) in \(\mathcal M(H^\infty)\). Let \(u(z)\) be the bounded harmonic function on \(\mathbb D\) with boundary values \(1\) on \(\partial\mathbb D^+\) and \(0\) on \(\partial \mathbb D^-\). In [Topology Appl. 159, No. 3, 900--910 (2012; Zbl 1245.46042)], \textit{R. Mortini} showed that \(\frac12 \leq u\leq 1\) on \(\mathbb M^+\), the closure of \(\mathbb D^+\) in \(\mathcal M(H^\infty)\), \(0 \leq u\leq \frac12\) on \(\mathbb M^-\), and that \(u = \frac12\) on \(E\). In the paper Mortini then asked the question whether \(u=\frac12\) exactly on \(E\). In the present paper the question of Mortini is answered in the affirmative.