  We show, using exact lattice chirality, that partition functions of lattice
gauge theories with vectorlike fermion representations can be split into
"light" and "mirror" parts, such that the "light" and "mirror" representations
are chiral. The splitting of the full partition function into "light" and
"mirror" is well defined only if the two sectors are separately anomaly free.
We show that only then is the generating functional, and hence the spectrum, of
the mirror theory a smooth function of the gauge field background. This
explains how ideas to use additional non-gauge, high-scale mirror-sector
dynamics to decouple the mirror fermions without breaking the gauge
symmetry--for example, in symmetric phases at strong mirror Yukawa
coupling--are forced to respect the anomaly-free condition when combined with
the exact lattice chiral symmetry. Our results also explain a paradox posed by
a recent numerical study of the mirror-fermion spectrum in a toy
would-be-anomalous two-dimensional theory. In passing, we prove some general
properties of the partition functions of arbitrary chiral theories on the
lattice that should be of interest for further studies in this field.
