Determining a property of a measured peak pattern having at least one peak includes extracting measured peak parameters from the measured peak pattern, and determining deviations of the measured peak parameters from reference values of a reference peak pattern. The reference peak pattern is represented by a spring model, with peak parameters being represented by corresponding springs. Determining a property of a measured peak pattern also includes determining a deformation energy necessary for deforming the reference peak pattern in a way that the deformed reference peak pattern substantially represents the measured peak pattern.