This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Applied Physics A. Changes (Springer-Verlag). Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms, may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. The final publication is available at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/plhj1pj0khyqpa34/ Applied Physics A, volume 80, issue 5, pages 957-964, 2/2005, DOI: 10.1007/s00339-004-3122-z